Investigating And Characterizing Microbial Diet of Caenorhabditis elegans Using Metabolic Network Modeling

Numerous species of microbes coexist with their host organisms. The microbial metabolic processes in the host environment may influence the host’s survival, sometimes negatively, through dysbiosis or change of host cells’ phenotypes. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the interactions between microbes and the host’s internal environment, which remains largely ambiguous at molecular level. Caenorhabditis elegans is a well-established model organism for understanding eukaryotic biology, possessing great potential for studies attempting to elucidate such interactions.

I am developing systematic and adaptable approaches for investigating the differential carbon metabolisms of various lab strains of Escherichia coli (microbe) used for feeding C. elegans (host). Specifically, the project attempts to identify any metabolic limitations (reactions gaps) affecting the microbes’ production of key biomass components with different carbon sources. This project will also contribute to development of animal-level metabolic reconstructions of C. elegans to provide mechanistic understanding of tissue-tissue and host-microbe interactions.

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Contact: liang(dot)chenguan(at)gmail(dot)com