Sébastien Rodrigue

The goal of the research program conducted in my laborarory is to obtain a detailed understanding of the global circuitry in simple microorganisms. We are also defining the composition of a minimal genome and developing robust methods for modifying entire genomes. In addition, we are trying to define simple rules to program gene expression using standardized DNA motifs. Our work will allow fundamental knowledge about genome organization and cell circuitry to be gained, and could also have important applications in various fields such as medicine, bio-remediation, nanofabrication, pathogen or hazardous substance dectection, and bio-energy production. We use the bacteria Mesoplasma florum as a platform for most of our experiments. This free-living microorganism is a particularly interesting model as its genome contains less than 700 genes, has no pathogenic potential, grows rapidly, and uses an alternative genetic code that limits horizontal gene transfer from and to other organisms. We are also interested in the marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus sp., which is the simplest and most abundant photosynthetic organism on the planet.