Event

Rhodobacter workshop I. - 2023

With this Rhodobacter workshop we would like to bring together for the first time the scientific community working with these intriguing microorganisms. It will be an informal workshop centered around eight topics (see below).

Organised by
Date

Mon 3 April 2023 until Tue 4 April 2023

Venue Fletcher Hotel-Restaurant De Wageningsche Berg
Price description Day 1 April 3rd: 120,- incl. VAT, dinner 40,- excl. VAT. Day 2 April 4th: 100,-. Both days incl. dinner and VAT: 243,60.

Topics

The topics of the Rhodobacter workshop are:

  • Microbial diversity and ecology
  • Genome editing
  • Photosynthesis
  • Gene regulation
  • Metabolism
  • Isoprenoid, Q10, carotenoid, hydrogen and PHB production
  • Protein production
  • Research tools

Rhodobacter species display a high metabolic versatility, being able to grow photo-, chemo-, auto- and heterotrophically. They are able to use a wide range of substrates, ranging from C1 compounds to fatty acids. They have been serving as model organisms for studying anoxygenic photosynthesis, metabolic regulation, chemotaxis and quorum sensing. They are natural producers of relevant bio-based compounds such as isoprenoids, PHB and hydrogen gas. The last years genome editing tools have become available that make it possible to develop Rhodobacter species as microbial cell factories.

The meeting will consist of keynote lectures, oral and poster presentations.

Registration

Registration will be open till 2 March 2023.

Cancellation is possible up to one month prior to the workshop (03-03-2023).

Monday, April 3rd
9:00 Opening, Jules Beekwilder, Ruud Weusthuis
9:10 Sponsor presentation
Producing fragrance and flavour ingredients in Rhodobacter
Jules Beekwilder, Anouk Coenen, Estela Delgado, Frank Fluitman, Belén Infanzón, Elena Melillo, Wesley Roverts, Simone Schmitz, Robert Trokowski, Celina Vossen, Wouter Wisselink, Matthew Q. Styles
9:45 Keynote. Modeling and mining the activities of Rhodobacter for society
Timothy Donohue
10:20 Coffee break
Session 1 Moderator: Elena Melillo (Isobionics)
10:50 Investigating and engineering carbon metabolism in Rhodobacterales
L L. Schada von Borzyskowski, M. Ren, C. Iacometti, B. Pommerenke, N. Paczia, T. Glatter, T. J. Erb
11:15 Pyoverdine-based interspecies interaction of P. putida with R. capsulatus
Antonia Christine Zeisel, Andrea Jeanette Weiler, Luzie Kruse, Seung-Hyun Paik, Fabienne Knapp, Vera Svensson, Bastian Wollenhaupt, Johanna Wiechert, Dietrich Kohlheyer, Julia Frunzke, Karl-Erich Jaeger, Thomas Drepper
11:40 Enhanced PHB production from Pseudohalocynthiibacter aestuariivivens
Fortunato Palma Esposito, Vittoria Vecchiato, Carmine Buonocore, Pietro Tedesco, Brendon Noble, Pooja Basnett, Donatellade Pascale
12:05 Lunch
Session 2 Moderator: Florence Schempp (BASF)
13:05 Keynote. Engineering terpenoid production in Rhodobacter capsulatus
A. Loeschcke, J. Hage-Hülsmann, O. Klaus, F. Knapp, K. Troost, V. Svensson, A. Heck, K.E. Jaeger, T. Drepper
13:40 Racing-red chassis: advancing Rhodobacter sphaeroides as cell factory for isoprenoid biosynthesis
E. Orsi, J. Beekwilder, I. Mougiakos, P.L. Folch, V.T. Monje-López, B.M. Fernhout, A. Turcato, M.R. Ghiffary, W. Post, A. de Maria, B. Adiego-Perez, M. Dompè, S. Peek, D. van Gelder, A. van Houwelingen, J. Van Der Oost, G. Eggink, S.W.M. Kengen, R.A. Weusthuis
14:05 Utilisation of plant biomass sugars by industrial microorganism Rhodobacter for production of high-value terpenes
A. van Houwelingen, A. Vos, J, Beekwilder, G. Van Aken, D. Bosch, K. Cankar
14:30 Elimination of competing pathways in terpene producing Cereibacter sphaeroides using appA and ppsR
A.M. Vos, S. van der Laan, A. van Houwelingen, K. Cankar, F. Fluitman, J. Beekwilder, D. Bosch
14:55 Tea break
Session 3 Moderator: Enrico Orsi (DTU)
15:25 Keynote: The photosynthetic apparatus of Rhodobacter sphaeroides
C.N. Hunter
16:00 Towards Photosystem III: Redesigning Reaction Centre Electron Transfer
Adam G.M. Bowie, Andrew Hitchcock, David J. K. Swainsbury, George A. Sutherland & C. Neil Hunter
16:25 Cost action: PurpleGain (https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA21146/)
Daniel Melchor Puyol Santos
16:45 End of day program
19:00 Workshop diner

Tuesday, April 4th
Session 4 Moderator: Frank Fluitman (Isobionics)
9:00 Keynote: Gene expression and regulation in Rhodobacter sphaeroides
Matthew McIntosh, Jonas Kretz
9:35 Identification of transcriptional regulators involved in isoprenoid biosynthesis in Rhodobacter sphaeroides
Alice Di Girolamo, Janani Durairaj, Thamara Hesselink, Aurin Vos, Adèle van Houwelingen, Harro J. Bouwmeester, Aalt DJ. Van Dijk, Dick de Ridder, Jules Beekwilder
10:00 Coffee break
Session 5 Moderator: Wouter Wisselink (Isobionics)
10:30 Temporal analysis of the R. sphaeroides transcriptome and proteome in response to oxygen depletion
J. H. Salisbury, A. J. Taylor, J. Webb, P. J. Jackson, C. N. Hunter, A. Hitchcock
10:55 Optogenetic switches for light-mediated control of microbial processes
Fabienne Knapp, Nora Bitzenhofer, Oliver Klaus, Seung-Hyun Paik, Fabian Hogenkamp, Alina Burmeister, Alexander Grünberger, Dietrich Kohlheyer, Jörg Pietruszka, Karl-Erich Jaeger, Thomas Drepper
11:20 Engineering nitrogenase enzymes in Rhodobacter capsulatus
J.G. Rebelein
11:45 Lunch Break
Session 6 Moderator: Oskar Zelder (BASF)
12:45 Keynote: Exploring Rhodobacter species and other purple bacteria for sustainable microbial protein applications
Siegfried Vlaeminck
13:10 Characterising electron transport to the Fe-nitrogenase in Rhodobacter capsulatus
Holly Addison, Dr. Timo Glatter, Dr. Johannes Rebelein
13:35 CO2 inhibits the Fe-only nitrogenase but not the Mo nitrogenase in vivo
N.N. Oehlmann, J.G. Rebelein
14:00 What causes the transition phase in Cereibacter sphaeroides heterotrophic growth?
M. Kostanjšek, N. van der Straten, J. Beekwilder, S. Kengen, R. A. Weusthuis, Mark M.M. Bisschops
14:30 End, Jules Beekwilder, Ruud Weusthuis

Keynote speakers

Matthew McIntosh

Microbiology and Molecular Biology
Justus-Liebig-Universität, Giessen, Germany
Gene expression and regulation in Rhodobacter sphaeroides

McIntosh

C. Neil Hunter

Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
University of Sheffield, UK
The photosynthetic apparatus of Rhodobacter sphaeroides

C. Neil Hunter

Keynote speakers

Matthew Styles

Isobionics BV
Geleen, The Netherlands
Producing fragrance and flavour ingredients in Rhodobacter

Matthew Styles

Anita Loeschcke

Molecular Enzyme Technology
Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
Engineering terpenoid production in Rhodobacter capsulatus

Anita Loeschcke

Keynote speakers

Siegfried Vlaeminck

Department of Bioscience Engineering
Universiteit Antwerpen, Belgium
Exploring Rhodobacter species and other purple bacteria for sustainable microbial protein applications

Siegfried Vlaeminck

Tim J. Donohue

Department of Bacteriology
University of Wisconsin, USA
Modeling and mining the activities of Rhodobacter for society

Tim J. Donohue