报告主题：Archaeal cell biology：Unveiling new models of cell division and intracellular lifestyle

主 讲 人：YAN LIAO 博士（University of Technology Sydney）

主 持 人：李猛 教授

时 间：2023年10月17日周二15：00

地 点：致知楼706

报告摘要：

Archaea and eukaryotes are increasingly recognized as one domain, distinct from bacteria. Therefore, Archaea are of central importance to understanding the early evolution of eukaryotes. Understanding how primordial archaeal cells evolved complexity and collaborated with bacteria to establish eukaryotes is a largely unresolved problem.

By combing molecular genetics, multiple fluorescence and electron microscopy techniques, our research aims to uncover the largely unknown processes of archaeal cell division and morphogenesis, which differ substantially compared to bacteria and eukaryotes, largely attributed to the very different cell envelope structures in these organisms. Here I will present recent advances in understanding the function and regulation of archaeal cell division proteins (two FtsZ, CdrS, and CdpA) at the heart of these processes. Additionally, I will describe our latest discoveries on a new intracellular lifestyle of an archaeal symbiont which is relevant for models on the origin of the eukaryotic cells. These studies have improved our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning division, morphogenesis, and symbiosis across the tree of life, providing new insights into archaeal biology and life evolution.

嘉宾简介：

Dr Yan Liao is a Chancellor’s Research Fellow, Lecturer, Masters/PhD supervisor at University of Technology Sydney (UTS, Australia). She is an independent PI and leads a research group on archaeal morphology and development at the Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection (AIMI) at UTS.

Dr Yan Liao obtained her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of New South Wales in 2017, under the joint supervision of Prof. Rick Cavicchioli and Dr. Timothy Williams. During her PhD work, she investigated the ecologically relevant mechanisms of growth, survival, and adaptation of cold-adapted archaea isolated from Deep Lake in Antarctica. Then she accepted a postdoctoral research position in A/Prof Ian Duggin’s group at UTS, where she focused on cell structural dynamics and division in archaea by using advanced genetics and state-of-art microscopy techniques. She later was awarded an internationally competitive Chancellor’s Research Fellowship at UTS and established her own research group in 2022.

Dr Yan Liao’s research has led to the breakthrough discoveries on a new cell division system and a new life cycle in Archaea. Her work has introduced a major conceptual advance in cell division and evolution, which has opened up new research areas. Her research has resulted in landmark publications in prestigious journals including Nature Microbiology (cover article), mBio, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and Environmental Microbiology. Her work represents a strong advance for the biology of Archaea, improves our understanding of life evolution, and benefits industry by creating new pathways for controlling archaeal growth and harnessing archaea in biotechnology.