RESEARCH PROFILE

- Microbial degradation of dimethylsulfide (DMS) and related organosulfur compounds

- Genetics and biochemistry of DMS degradation

- Genetic and functional diversity of methylotrophs

- Microbial pollutant degradation

BACKGROUND

Dr. rer. nat (University of Bremen, Germany), 2001

My PhD research at the Max-Planck-Institute for Marine Microbiology (Bremen, Germany) and at the Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ, Texel, The Netherlands) focused on characterising the diversity of marine microbial assemblages using molecular techniques, such as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses of 16S rRNA encoding genes.

At Warwick I became involved in investigating environmental microorganisms involved in cycling of atmospheric trace gases, including postdoctoral work on methyl halide degrading bacteria. Funded by fellowships from the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) I am now exploring environmental, biochemical and genomic aspects of microbial dimethylsufide degradation.

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CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

• Making and Breaking DMS by Salt Marsh Microbes, with Professor J C Murrell, Biological Sciences, Mr Andrew Mead - Warwick HRI Dr Hendrik Schaefer - Warwick HRI, Funded by: NERC, Project Start Date: 01/04/2010 Project End Date: 31/03/2013
• Biochemical characterisation of methanethiol oxidase, with Prof Tim D Bugg - Chemistry, Funded by: BBSRC, Project Start Date: 01/10/2009 Project End Date: 30/09/2012
• Marine microbial degradation of dimethylsulfide: Process understanding through application of postgenomic approaches to a model organism, Funded by: NERC, Project Start Date: 01/09/2007 Project End Date: 30/08/2012
  
  

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SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• Boden, R., Murrell, J. C. and Schafer, H.(2011) 'Dimethylsulfide is an energy source for the heterotrophic marine bacterium Sagittula stellata' FEMS Microbiology Letters 322 (2), 188 - 193 (0378-1097) [article]
• Boden, R., Borodina, E., Wood, A.P., Kelly, D.P., Murrell, J.C., and H. Schäfer.(2011) 'Purification and characterization of dimethylsulfide monooxygenase from Hyphomicrobium sulfonivorans.' Journal Of Bacteriology 193 1250 - 1258 (0021-9193)
• Boden, R., Ferriera, S., Johnson, J., Kelly, D.P., Murrell, J.C., and H.Schäfer(2011) 'Draft genome sequence of the chemolithoheterotrophic, halophilic methylotroph Methylophaga thiooxydans DMS010' Journal Of Bacteriology 193 3154 - 3155 (0021-9193) [article]
• Boden, R., Kelly, D. P., Murrell, J. C. and Schäfer, H(2010) 'Oxidation of dimethylsulfide to tetrathionate by Methylophaga thiooxidans sp. nov.: a new link in the sulfur cycle' Environmental Microbiology 12 (10), 2688 - 2699 (1462-2912)
• Chen, Y., Scanlan, J., Song, L., Crombie, A., Rahman, M. T., Schäfer, H. and Murrell, J. C.(2010) '{Gamma}-glutamylmethylamide is an essential intermediate in the metabolism of methylamine by Methylocella silvestris' Applied and Environmental Microbiology 76 (13), 4530 - 4537 (0099-2240)

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