The MAPIEM laboratory has recognized experience in microbial ecology, biochemistry and molecular biology of marine biofilms, i.e. microbes that colonize artificial or living substrata immersed in the marine environment. In the last years, specific methodologies have been developed, especially based on multidisciplinary and multiscale approaches with the aim of better understanding how biofilms impact and are regulated in different environments.
Skills and expertises :
- Structure, functions and dynamics of prok- and eukaryotic microbial communities in biofilms
→ MCBL, SEM, metabarcoding, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics - Biochemical profiling of the biofilm matrix
→ characterization of EPS (ATR-IR), metabolomics (LC-MS) - Quantification of taxonomic or functional genes (qPCR)
- Omics/bioinformatics tools and associated statistics
- Multidisciplinary and multi-scale approaches
→ in situ, in mesocosms, on strains, +/- anaerobic conditions and +/- high pressures - Molecular mechanisms of signaling pathways
→ protein-protein, protein-ligand, protein-DNA interactions - Reconstitution and analysis of complex biofilms (static and in flow) by microscopy
- Site-directed mutagenesis and random transposition mutagenesis (Tn-seq)
Scope / main fields :
Influence of surfaces and the environment on marine biofilm communities and matrix, roles and consequences :
- Antifouling surfaces and coatings (ship, sensors, etc.)
- Pollutants (metallic, organic, antibiotics, etc.), bioaccumulation / bioindication
- Microplastics (bioaccumulation and trophic transfers)
- Degradation of polymers in deep environments
- Climate disruption
- Renewable marine energies
- Adaptive response of bacteria to their environment
- Antibiofilm strategies
- Water networks
