My research is intended to contribute to the elucidation of the physiological and molecular processes involved in the biofilm formation of acidophilic leaching bacteria with emphasis in their cell-cell communication mechanisms. Biomining is an industrial process in which leaching bacteria such as Acidithiobacillus, Leptospirillum and Sulfobacillus are used for recovering valuable metals, such as copper, nickel, uranium or gold from sulfidic ores. Bacterial attachment increases leaching activities due to the formation of a "reaction space" between the metal sulfide surface and the cell. Bacteria are able to communicate by producing and secreting a diverse set of small mo-lecules called autoinducers in a process called “Quorum sensing” (QS) regulating several population density-dependent cellular behaviors, such as virulence, conjugation, transforma-tion, and biofilm formation. Microscopy studies: By using AFM, EFM and CLSM, we are imaging different polysaccharide moieties of the EPS by using fluorescently labeled lectins, following the dynamics of biofilm formation processes and the transition from planktonic to a biofilm lifestyle. Molecular biology and bioinformatics studies: We are using the current genome sequences from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, At. caldus, At. ferrivorans and At. thiooxidans, searching for genes potentially encoding EPS related proteins and trying to predict their roles on EPS formation and Biofilm formation.High throughput proteomic studies of At. ferrooxidans biofilm formation process (In collaboration with Dr. AnsgarPoetsch, Plant Biochemistry, Ruhr Universität, Bochum).

My PhD topic was related to molecular biology of leaching bacteria, Studying the Pho regulon of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, a system present in many bacteria to control Phosphate metabolism.