Project Summary

Our lab studies how organisms respond to stress by investigating microbes that live in exceptionally salty environments such as the Dead Sea. At the cellular level, responses to stress involve many proteins and other molecules that cannot easily be studied using large, complex organisms like humans. By examining these processes in microbes that thrive in highly stressful environments, we expect to provide insight into how our own bodies respond and adapt to stress.

Relevance:

All organisms are subject to environmental stress such as changes in temperature and exposure to chemicals. Responses to these stressors involve many proteins and other molecules that cannot easily be studied using large, complex organisms like humans. The proposed research will study how microbial organisms thrive in stressful environments to help us understand the processes in our own bodies that allow us to respond to stress.