PROMOTING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BETWEEN INDIA AND THE U.S.
Biochemistry
Indiana University
Our work has primarily focussed on members of the genus Sulfolobus. In particular we have studied S. solfataricus and S. acidocaldarius. These species are hyperthermophilic acidophilic aerobes (they grow at 80°C and at pHs between 2 and 4). The hyperthermophilicity of the organisms is mirrored by an innate thermostability of the proteins that they encode. This greatly facilitates purification of native and recombinant proteins. There are also a growing number of genetic tools available for these species, further adding to their utility as model organisms. More recently, we have studied how replication termination is effected in Sulfolobus. In collaboration with Nicola Abrescia (Bilbao) and Nick Proudfoot in the Dunn School we are investigating the structure/function relationships in the archaeal transcription apparatus.In our recent work, we have identified the factor responsible for recruiting Sulfolobus ESCRT-III to membranes at mid-cell (Samson et al, Mol. Cell, 2011).