Students and staff

Laboratory of Microbial Bioenergetics

Scientific interests

  • Structure and function of bacterial electron transport chains with low efficiency of energy coupling
  • Engineering of Zymomonas mobilis aerobic metabolism

Team

5-7 researchers, including PhD and project students.

 

 

Projects

Projects from the Latvian Council of Science:

  • 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: 

  • 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 http://www.rtu.lv/content/view/5581/1903/lang,lv/

  • 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 http://www.sysbio.lv/

 

Publications

2017

Muter O., Grube M., Kalnenieks U. (2017)  A directed evolution strategy for enhancing microbial activity in biodegradation processes, 2nd International Caparica Conference on Pollutant Toxic Ions and Molecules, PTIM 2017.

2016

Rutkis R, Strazdina I, Balodite E, Lasa Z, Galinina N, Kalnenieks U (2016) The Low Energy- Coupling Respiration in Zymomonas mobilis Accelerates Flux in the Entner-Doudoroff Pathway. PLoS ONE 11(4): e0153866. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0153866

2014

R. Rutkis, N. Galinina, I. Strazdina, and U. Kalnenieks (2014) The inefficient aerobic energetics of Zymomonas mobilis: Identifying the bottleneck. Journal of Basic Microbiology 54: 1-8.

E. Balodite, I. Strazdina, N. Galinina, S. McLean, R. Rutkis, R. K. Poole, and U. Kalnenieks (2014) Structure of the Zymomonas mobilis respiratory chain: oxygen affinity of electron transport and the role of cytochrome c peroxidase. Microbiology 160: 2045-2052.

U. Kalnenieks, A. Pentjuss, R. Rutkis, E. Stalidzans, and D.A.Fell (2014) Modeling of Zymomonas mobilis central metabolism for novel metabolic engineering strategies. Frontiers in Microbiology 5:42. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00042

2013

A. Pentjuss, I. Odzina, A. Kostromins, D. A. Fell, E. Stalidzans and U. Kalnenieks (2013) Biotechnological potential of respiring Zymomonas mobilis: A stoichiometric analysis of its central metabolism. Journal of Biotechnology 165: 1-10.

M. Grube, I. Dimanta, M. Gavare, I. Strazdina, J. Liepins, T. Juhna and U. Kalnenieks (2013) Hydrogen-producing Escherichia coli strains, overexpressing lactose permease: FT-IR analysis of the lactose-induced stress. Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry Doi: 10.1002/bab.1128. [Epub ahead of print]

R. Rutkis, U. Kalnenieks, E. Stalidzans, and D. A. Fell (2013) Kinetic modeling of Zymomonas mobilis Entner-Doudoroff pathway: insights into control and functionality. Microbiology 159: 2674-2689.

2012

I. Strazdina, N. Kravale, N. Galinina, R. Rutkis, R.K. Poole, U. Kalnenieks (2012) Electron transport and oxidative stress in Zymomonas mobilis respiratory mutants. Archives of Microbiology 194: 461-471.

N. Galinina, Z. Lasa, I. Strazdina, R. Rutkis, U. Kalnenieks (2012) Effect of ADH  II-deficiency on the intracellular redox homeostasis in Zymomonas mobilis. The Scientific World Journal, Volume 2012, Article ID 742610, 6 pages

M. Grube, R. Rutkis, M. Gavare, Z. Lasa, I. Strazdina, N. Galinina and U. Kalnenieks (2012) Application of FT-IR spectroscopy for fingerprinting of Zymomonas mobilis respiratory mutants. Spectroscopy: An International Journal. 27(5-6): 581-585.

2008

U. Kalnenieks, N. Galinina, I. Strazdina, Z. Kravale, J.L. Pickford, R. Rutkis, R.K. Poole (2008) NADH dehydrogenase deficiency results in low respiration rate and improved aerobic growth of Zymomonas mobilis. Microbiology 154: 989-994.

2007

U. Kalnenieks, R. Rutkis, Z. Kravale, I. Strazdina, N. Galinina (2007) High aerobic growth with low respiratory rate: The ndh-deficient Zymomonas mobilis. Journal of Biotechnology 131(2S), S264.

2006

U. Kalnenieks, N. Galinina, M.M. Toma, J.L. Pickford, R. Rutkis, R.K. Poole (2006) Respiratory behaviour of a Zymomonas mobilis adhB::kanr mutant supports the hypothesis of two alcohol dehydrogenase isoenzymes catalysing opposite reactions. FEBS Letters 580: 5084-5088.

U. Kalnenieks (2006) Physiology of Zymomonas mobilis: some unanswered questions. Advances in Microbial Physiology 51: 73-117.

2005

U. Kalnenieks, N. Galinina, M. M. Toma (2005) Physiological regulation of the properties of alcohol dehydrogenase II (ADH II) of Zymomonas mobilis: NADH renders ADH II resistant to cyanide and aeration. Archives of Microbiology 183: 450-455.

2003

M. M. Toma, U. Kalnenieks, A. Berzins, A. Vigants, M. Rikmanis, U. Viesturs (2003) The effect of mixing on glucose fermentation by Zymomonas mobilis continuous culture. Process Biochemistry 38: 1347-1350.

U. Kalnenieks, M. M. Toma, N. Galinina, R. K. Poole (2003) The paradoxical cyanide-stimulated respiration of Zymomonas mobilis: cyanide-sensitivity of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH II). Microbiology 149: 1739-1744.

2002

U. Kalnenieks, N. Galinina, M. M. Toma, U. Marjutina (2002) Ethanol cycle in an ethanologenic bacterium. FEBS Letters 522: 6-8.

2000

U. Kalnenieks, N. Galinina, M.M. Toma, R. K. Poole (2000) Cyanide inhibits respiration, yet stimulates aerobic growth of Zymomonas mobilis. Microbiology 146: 1259-1266.

R. K. Poole and U. Kalnenieks (2000) Introduction to light absorption: visible and ultraviolet spectra. In: Spectrophotometry & Spectrofluorimetry. A Practical Approach (ed. Michael G. Gore). Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 1-32 (368 pages).

1998

U. Kalnenieks, N. Galinina, S. Bringer-Meyer, R. K. Poole (1998) Membrane D-lactate oxidase in Zymomonas mobilis: evidence for a branched respiratory chain. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 168: 91-97.

 

Cooperation

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.

 

Contacts

Head of the laboratory

Dr.biol. Uldis Kalnenieks

Professor of Biotechnology

kalnen@lanet.lv

Phone: +371 6703488

Fax: +371 67034885