In the Metallomics Laboratory, we are exploring the hypothesis that modern organisms bear imprints of the trace metal chemistry of the environment in which they evolved. It is predicted that this imprint is recognizable in the organism’s metallome, the complete collection of metal-containing proteins within a cell. 

Since its opening in 2006, scientists in the Metallomics Lab have focused research efforts in understanding the iron, copper and molybdenum requirements for photoautotrophic growth. Cyanobacteria were dominant primary producers in the Proterozoic, a time in Earth history when metal concentrations in the ocean were drastically different than today. Since both photosynthesis and nitrogen assimilation are metal-expensive metabolic pathways, we are interested in metallomic adaptations that these organisms have evolved to cope with varying metal concentrations through geologic history.

Through a combination of biochemical, molecular biological and physiological measurements, we seek to answer geologic questions using biological techniques. Examples of the questions that drive research in the Metallomics Laboratory include:

·         What are the trace metal requirements for major element (C, N, P and S) assimilation? At what trace metal concentration do major elements become limiting?

·         How does biology maintain metal homeostasis?

·         Under what conditions does metal substitution occur?