Research Profile
Forschungsschwerpunkte der AG Prof. Dahl
The main research topic is sulfur metabolism in prokaryotes. The focus is on the study of oxidative sulfur metabolism in bacteria, but also includes sulfate reduction in bacteria and archaea as part of an international collaboration. Overall, sulfur-metabolizing prokaryotes are of immense importance to the sulfur cycle in both terrestrial and marine habitats. In addition, inorganic sulfur compounds also play an important role in the microbial flora of the human gut.
Our work focuses on the biochemical, biophysical and structural characterization of enzymes of bacterial sulfur metabolism not only from environmentally relevant prokaryotes but also from organisms pathogenic for humans. In the course of this work, two model organisms, Hyphomicrobium denitrificans and Allochromatium vinosum
were made accessible for genetic manipulation, and systems biology approaches have been established through national and international collaborations at all possible levels (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics). In the future, the combination of these approaches should allow an integrated understanding not only of sulfur metabolism but also of all basic processes of energy metabolism in sulfur-oxidizing bacteria.
