Our lab is interested in exploring bacterial cellular differentiation and socio-microbiology in various environmental contexts. Our main model organism is the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis, which possesses very interesting features. Notably, this bacterium forms endospores, develops multicellular communities embedded in an extracellular matrix (biofilms), and differentiates into various cell types. B. subtilis is also a plant growth-promoting bacteria which displays many beneficial activities for plants and is currently use as a biofertilizer and a biofungicide in organic agriculture. Some of our projects explore the cellular mechanisms underlying roots colonization, including the attraction of the bacteria toward the plant, the communication between the plant and the bacteria, and long-term persistence of B. subtilis on roots.
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Because of its genetic amenability, we also use B. subtilis as a model organism to study conserved cellular processes intertwined with biofilm formation. We are exploring horizontal gene transfer and metal homeostasis during biofilm formation. Results obtain in these projects are used to formulate hypothesis that are then tested in the human pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Our laboratory employs a variety of techniques to answer these questions, including classical microbiology, molecular and cellular biology, proteomic, microscopy and analytical chemistry.
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Our research program will provide answers to many very actual questions in microbiology. The studies on the interaction between B. subtilis and plant roots will lead to the optimization of B. subtilis usage as a biofertilizer, and hopefully broaden its presence in sustainable agriculture. Our projects on the cell-cell communication and metal homeostasis during biofilm formation will further our comprehension of bacterial biofilms, involved in many hospital-acquired infections and promoting antibiotic resistance.
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