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  • Mar
    9

    EES Seminar: Marie-Francois Gros

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering

    2:00 PM A230, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    Role of a nucleotide second messenger signaling in biofilm formation at aspen roots by the rhizobacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens

    Abstract

    Rhizobacteria of the Pseudomonas fluorescens group adopt a range of morphological phenotypes on the rhizoplane of Populus, ranging from micro-colonies to highly structured biofilms. Biofilm-forming bacteria have been found to be beneficial for plant growth, however, the underlying mechanisms governing the formation of biofilm at plant roots is poorly understood. In bacteria, the secondary signaling messenger cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) is a central regulator of bacterial transition from motile to biofilm life-styles. This molecule is synthetized by enzymes called diguanylate cyclases (DGCs), degraded by phospho-diesterases (PDEs), and bound by a wealth of effector proteins that regulate specific cellular functions.
    The intricate interplay between all the players involved in this signaling pathways is arguably the main hindrance to our understanding of the role of c-di-GMP signaling in biofilm formation and PGP activities in this bacteria. In cells, most proteins exert their activities in association with other proteins to form functional complexes and machineries. We combined the identification of protein complexes involved in c-di-GMP regulatory pathways with a systematic CRISPRi-based functional analysis. We built a high-quality binary protein-protein interaction (PPI) map centered on c-di-GMP signaling in P. fluorescens SBW25 from very high confidence interactions. This PPI network clustered in connected functional modules, revealing functional associations connecting c-di-GMP binding proteins to particular metabolic pathways and cellular machineries relevant with plant-root interactions, such as cell signaling, transcriptional regulations, cell adhesion, and transport of various nutrients. Protein-protein networks centered onto specific signaling pathways represent a useful approach for deciphering plant-microbes interactions.

    Biography:

    My Research at Argonne National Laboratory, BIO division, is focused on understanding the regulatory mechanisms underlying plant-microbe interactions using the rhizosphere bacterial model, Pseudomonas fluorescens. I am aiming at deciphering the gene regulatory circuits that control bacterial interactions with plant root, with a particular focus on the mechanisms responsible for the development of biofilms such as found at the surface of plant-roots. Using a combination of proteomic, transcriptomic and genetic approaches I am studying the function of protein-complexes important for biofilm formation in P. fluorescens. My background is molecular microbiology and genetics with expertise in various DNA transactions mechanisms and bacterial cell cycle related processes as well as the signaling pathways that regulate them in B. subtilis. I recently developed genetic tools for the interrogation of gene functions in P. fluorescens and assess their role in the formation and shaping of the biofilms.

    In the last years I have focused my interest on understanding the biological function of molecular machines, the mechanisms that control their assembly and the regulation pathways that connect them in the bacterial cell. To tackle this question, I used a multipronged strategy combining the identification of protein complexes in protein-protein networks, their dissection by an edgetic approach and their functional study using microbial molecular genetics tools and fluorescent microscopy. I built protein interaction networks mainly centered on DNA metabolism DNA repair and cell division in the gram positive model bacteria B. subtilis, and elucidated the functional role of protein complexes involved in those processes. To understand the internal workings of protein-protein complexes and how cell processes functionally integrate, I expanded my investigations toward the study of signal transduction, specifically the role of protein phosphorylation by bacterial kinases in B. subtilis. My main objective was to decipher the role of post-translational modifications in the regulation of various DNA related cellular processes during the vegetative life and developmental cycle of B. subtilis. New regulatory pathways, kinases crosstalk as well a novel protein scaffolds were revealed highlighting the existence of signaling cascades akin to those described in eukaryotes.

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    TIME Friday, March 9, 2018 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

    LOCATION A230, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Tierney Acott    tierney-acott@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering

  • Apr
    24

    SPREE Seminar Series - From Dots In Space To Space-Time-Magnitude Connections: Evolution of Energy Release Research As Applied to Damage Mechanics and Induced Seismicity- Jesse Hampton

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    11:00 AM A236, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    LOCATION A236, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • Apr
    26

    EES Seminar Series- Kaize Ding

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    2:00 PM A236, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Friday, April 26, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

    LOCATION A236, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • May
    1

    SPREE Seminar Series- Roman Makhenko

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    11:00 AM A236, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    LOCATION A236, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • May
    3

    EES Seminar Series- X-ray fluorescence microscopy for life and environmental studies at the Advanced Photon Source- Si Chen

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    2:00 PM A236, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Friday, May 3, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

    LOCATION A236, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • May
    6

    AED/MPM PD Seminar Series- Steve Nargang

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    11:00 AM 1101, Pancoe-NSUHS Life Sciences Pavilion

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Monday, May 6, 2024 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    LOCATION 1101, Pancoe-NSUHS Life Sciences Pavilion    map it

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • May
    8

    SPREE Seminar Series- Investigating Single & Multi-Component Polymer Grafted Nanoparticles using Molecular Modelling- Subhadeep Pal

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    11:00 AM A236, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    LOCATION A236, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • May
    8

    Extending Care: A Conversation about Conservation and Futurity

    Block Museum of Art

    6:00 PM Block Museum of Art, Mary and Leigh

    EVENT DETAILSmore info

    TIME Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

    LOCATION Block Museum of Art, Mary and Leigh    map it

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    CONTACT Block Museum of Art    block-museum@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR Block Museum of Art

  • May
    10

    EES Seminar Series- Phosphorous Recycling- Jade Basinski

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    2:00 PM A236, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Friday, May 10, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

    LOCATION A236, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • May
    13

    AED/MPM PD Seminar Series- Albert Mena & Maya Stuhlbarg

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    11:00 AM 1101, Pancoe-NSUHS Life Sciences Pavilion

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Monday, May 13, 2024 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    LOCATION 1101, Pancoe-NSUHS Life Sciences Pavilion    map it

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • May
    15

    SPREE Seminar Series- Understanding Heat Transport at Grain Boundaries Through High Resolution Imaging- Elenora Isotta

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    11:00 AM A236, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    LOCATION A236, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • May
    17

    EES Seminar Series- Dave Lampert

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    2:00 PM A236, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Friday, May 17, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

    LOCATION A236, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • May
    20

    AED/MPM PD Seminar Series- Andres Marulanda Escobar

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    11:00 AM 1101, Pancoe-NSUHS Life Sciences Pavilion

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Monday, May 20, 2024 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    LOCATION 1101, Pancoe-NSUHS Life Sciences Pavilion    map it

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • May
    22

    SPREE Seminar Series- Mechanism-Based Multi-Scale Models for Damage and Failure in Heterogeneous Materials- Kedar Kirane

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    11:00 AM A236, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    LOCATION A236, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • May
    24

    EES Seminar Series- PFAS Characterization- Gordon Getzinger

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    2:00 PM A236, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Friday, May 24, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

    LOCATION A236, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • Jun
    6

    CEE Department Graduation Recognition and Ceremony

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    4:00 PM 1702 Chicago Ave

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Thursday, June 6, 2024 at 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM

    LOCATION 1702 Chicago Ave   

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • Jun
    7

    CEE Graduating Undergraduate Celebrating

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    6:00 PM 623 W Howard St

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Friday, June 7, 2024 at 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

    LOCATION 623 W Howard St   

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • Jun
    10

    Northwestern Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony

    McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

    9:00 AM Welsh-Ryan Arena

    EVENT DETAILSmore info

    TIME Monday, June 10, 2024 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

    LOCATION Welsh-Ryan Arena   

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    CONTACT Amy Pokrass    amy.pokrass@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  • Jun
    10

    Northwestern Engineering Undergraduate Convocation

    McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

    2:00 PM Welsh-Ryan Arena

    EVENT DETAILSmore info

    TIME Monday, June 10, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

    LOCATION Welsh-Ryan Arena   

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    CONTACT Amy Pokrass    amy.pokrass@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science