Archaeal Signalling

Recent results in our laboratory have suggested that quorum sensing in the archaea is more wide-spread than previously thought, revealing production of putative signal molecules in a range of halophilic archaea as well as a thermophile. However, the genetic basis for signal molecule production and regulation in archaea is not known, an area we are keen to pursue under this research program. Several putatively novel signalling molecules have been identified and are in the process of being characterised. In addition, the role of this phenomenon of communication in archaea at both the individual and community level (i.e. what phenotypes are regulated) is not well understood. To this end this project aims to ascertain potential signalling roles by targeting biofilm production, extracellular enzyme activity, and other functions known to be regulated by quorum sending in bacterial counterparts. Indeed, even the process of biofilm formation in archaea is not as well characterised in archaea as in bacteria, and this has also been the subject of this research program.

Biofilm architecture in microbial mat haloarchaea.