Microbial Bioenergetics

Bacterial bioenergetics, physiology and metabolic engineering of respiratory catabolism. Physiology, electron transport chain and regulation of aerobic metabolism in the ethanologenic bacterium Zymomonas mobilis. Modeling of its central metabolism. Metabolism and syntrophic co-cultivation of the omega fatty acid-accumulating dinoflagellates. Antimicrobial peptides (AMP), mechanisms of their action and the relationship between bacterial AMP-resistance and their energetic metabolism.
 

Prof. Uldis Kalnenieks

R. Rutkis, Z. Lasa, M. Rubina, I. Strazdina, and U. Kalnenieks (2024) Eminent Antimicrobial Peptide Resistance in Zymomonas mobilis: A Novel Advantage of Intrinsically Uncoupled Energetics. Antibiotics,13,451. doi.org 10.3390/antibiotics13050451I. Strazdina, M. Bikerniece, E.R. Paegle, K. Shvirksts, M. Grube, Z. Lasa, R. Rutkis, and U. Kalnenieks (2023) Oxidative Phosphorylation for Aerobic Survival, but Not for Growth: The Peculiar ‘Make-Accumulate-Consume’ Strategy in Zymomonas mobilis. Fermentation 9: 951. doi.org/10.3390/ fermentation9110951

K. Berzins, R. Muiznieks, M.R. Baumanis, I. Strazdina, K. Shvirksts, S. Prikule, V. Galvanauskas, D. Pleissner, A. Pentjuss, M. Grube, U. Kalnenieks, and E. Stalidzans (2022) Kinetic and Stoichiometric Modeling-Based Analysis of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Production Potential by Crypthecodinium cohnii from Glycerol, Glucose and Ethanol. Marine Drugs 20:115. doi.org 10.3390/md20020115

K. Kovtuna, I. Strazdina, M. Bikerniece, N. Galinina, R. Rutkis, J. Martynova and U. Kalnenieks (2022) Improved hydrogen peroxide stress resistance of Zymomonas mobilis NADH dehydrogenase (ndh) and alcohol dehydrogenase (adhB) mutants. Fermentation 8:289.

R. Rutkis, Z. Ļaša, M. Rubina. R. Ščerbaka, G. Kalniņš, J. Bogans and U. Kalnenieks (2022) Antimicrobial activity of Zymomonas mobilis is related to its aerobic catabolism and acid resistance. Fermentation 8:77.

I. Strazdina, L. Klavins, N. Galinina, K. Shvirksts, M. Grube, E. Stalidzans and U. Kalnenieks (2021) Syntrophy of Crypthecodinium cohnii and immobilized Zymomonas mobilis for docosahexaenoic acid production from sucrose-containing substrates. Journal of Biotechnology 338:63-70.

U. Kalnenieks, K.M. Pappas, K. Bettenbrock (2020) Zymomonas mobilis metabolism: novel tools and targets for its rational engineering. Advances in Microbial Physiology 77:37-88.

U. Kalnenieks, E. Balodite, and R. Rutkis (2019) Metabolic Engineering of Bacterial Respiration: High vs. Low P/O and the Case of Zymomonas mobilis. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 7:327.

U. Kalnenieks, E. Balodite, S. Strähler, I. Strazdina, J. Rex, A. Pentjuss, K. Fuchino, P. Bruheim, R. Rutkis, K.M. Pappas, R.K. Poole, O. Sawodny and K. Bettenbrock (2019). Improvement of acetaldehyde production in Zymomonas mobilis by engineering of its aerobic metabolism. Frontiers in Microbiology 10:2533.

Balodite E., Strazdina I., Martynova J., Galinina N., Rutkis R., Lasa Z., and Kalnenieks U. (2019) Translocation of Zymomonas mobilis pyruvate decarboxylase to periplasmic compartment for production of acetaldehyde outside the cytosol. MicrobiologyOpen, DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.809

I. Strazdina, E. Balodite, Z. Lasa, R. Rutkis, N. Galinina and U. Kalnenieks (2018) Aerobic catabolism and respiratory lactate bypass in Ndh-negative Zymomonas mobilis. Metabolic Engineering Communications 7: e00081

Projects from the Latvian Council of Science:

• Oxygen-resistant and thermotolerant Zymomonas mobilis respiratory mutants (2018-2020);
• ERA-IB-15-109 ‘Z-Fuels’ (A novel bacterial system with integrated micro-bubble distillation for the production of acetaldehyde. Latvian national funding for the ERA IB 6th call (2016-2010);
• NADPH-dependent aerobic energetics of Z. mobilis (01.0401);
• Alternative mechanisms of cyanide-resistance in bacteria (04.1101);
• Physiological role of energetically uncoupled respiration in bacteria: the case of Zymomonas mobilis (09.1306);
• Metabolic engineering of Zymomonas mobilis respiratory chain (536/2012).

Projects funded by ERDF and ESF: 

• Novel anti-microbial peptides from Zymomonas mobilis for treatment of skin and soft tissue infections. ERDF (2020-2023);
• Crypthecodinium cohnii and Zymomonas mobilis syntrophy for production of omega 3 fatty acid from byproducts of biofuel and sugar industry. ERDF (2019-2022);
• Translocation of acetaldehyde synthesis reaction from Zymomonas mobilis cell interior to its periplasm. ERDF. (2017-2020);
• Construction and study of biohydrogen-producing Escherichia coli strains In the scope of ERDF project 2010//0298/2DP/2.1.1.1.0/10/APIA/VIAA/157, Coordinated by Riga Technical University;
• Aerobic metabolic engineering of Zymomonas mobilis In the scope of ESF project 2009//0207/1DP/1.1.1.2.0/09/APIA/VIAA/128 Coordinated by Latvia University of Agriculture .

Early studies on Zymomonas mobilis aerobic energy metabolism during mid-nineties were done in collaboration with Prof. H. Sahm and Dr. S. Bringer-Meyer, Institute of Biotechnology-1, Research Centre of Juelich, Germany. Part of the recent research work on respiratory chain has been carried out at Prof. R. K. Poole's laboratory, University of Sheffield, UK. This cooperation has been supported by a NATO / Royal Society fellowship and by several Royal Society and BBSRC fellowships for short visits of Professor Kalnenieks to the University of Sheffield.

Head of the laboratory

Dr.biol. Uldis Kalnenieks

Professor of Biotechnology

kalnen@lanet.lv

Phone: +371 6703488

Fax: +371 67034885