The Catalytic Network
Name of applicant
Rikke Louise Meyer
Title
Professor
Institution
Aarhus University
Amount
DKK 9,972,664
Year
2023
Type of grant
Semper Ardens: Accomplish
What?
Bacteria use extracellular DNA (eDNA) to build resilient biofilms that resist biocides and predators. We recently discovered that eDNA in biofilms folds into structures and become conductive and catalytically active. In this project, we will discover how bacteria use eDNA as a catalytic network to make biofilms the most successful mode of life in the bacterial world.
Why?
The many different properties of functional DNA structures is well known in biotechnology, where DNA is used in biosensing, drug delivery, and as a catalyst. The chemical environment in biofilms allow DNA to form such functional structures outside the bacterial cells. We are therefore at new frontier, ready to discover how living organisms exploit the many functions of DNA.
How?
We will combine microbiology, DNA chemistry, and biophysics to learn how bacteria form functional DNA structures in the extracellular matrix of biofilms, and how these DNA structures protect bacteria by forming a strong, elastic networks that also catalyze chemical reactions.