Agricultural Microbes Genome 2 Conference

Poster: Cellular Processes, Regulatory Networks
P07_01.html

FUNCTIONAL INTEGRATION OF METABOLIC PATHWAYS IN RUMINOCOCCUS FLAVEFACIENS FD-1

¹ Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1207 West Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

The utilization of plant materials by ruminants is dependent on the microbial degradation of plant structural polysaccharides (cellulose and non-cellulosic polysaccharides) that account for over 50% of the weight of plant tissues. To understand the discrete mechanisms underlying this microbial conversion of feed biomass into microbial biomass, our laboratory has focused on delineating gene sequences associated with cellulases (celB and celD), and nitrogen metabolism (glnA, gdhA, and gltB) in the ruminal organism Ruminococcus flavefaciens FD-1. Additionally, in order to address regulatory circuits in Ruminococcus, we have cloned and sequenced genes encoding various heat shock proteins (groES, groEL, and dnaK). These sequence data will serve as functional genomic markers to navigate and characterize BAC libraries. Genome walking strategies will also be used to identify clusters of orthologous genes (COGs) related to plant cell wall degradation and/or nitrogen metabolism in this organism. We are particularly interested in looking at the coordinated regulation of plant cell wall hydrolysis and identification of differentially expressed genes when R. flavefaciens FD-1 is grown on different substrates (cellobiose or cellulose).