Zoom in on any patch of our planet and you will find a diverse group of microorganisms living together. Invisible to the naked eye, microbes live in complex communities that inhabit oceans, soils, our homes, and our bodies. Microbes are not mere inhabitants of these environments; they play a major role in the health of the environment in which they reside. Various types of molecular interactions occur between species in a microbial community, such as the exchange of nutrients or competition for resources. These molecular relationships shape the composition of the community and, in turn, the health of the ecosystem. However, the specifics of microbial interactions remain unknown. By examining microbes in isolation, in co-cultures, and within wholescale communities, the Taga Lab aims to uncover hidden interactions between microbes. We hope to apply our knowledge to manipulate microbial growth in controlled ways in order to dissect relationships between microbes and uncover new ways to promote environmental and human health.

 

Taga lab at ASM Microbe 2019

The Taga lab will be at ASM Microbe 2019. Amanda Shelton is presenting a poster and talk, Alexa Nicolas is presenting a poster and a rapid fire talk, and Joseph Maa is presenting a poster. Click below for details.

New preprint: Cofactor selectivity in methylmalonyl-CoA mutase, a model cobamide-dependent enzyme

Check out our new preprint on bioRxiv by Olga M Sokolovskaya, Kenny C Mok, Jong Duk Park, Jennifer L A Tran, Kathryn A Quanstrom, and Michiko E Taga.

Kris Kennedy presenting at WCBP 2018!

Grad student Kris Kennedy is presenting at this year's West Coast Bacterial Physiologists meeting! See him and other members of the Taga lab Dec 14-16 in Asilomar!

Welcome to rotation student Luis!

Luis Valentin-Alvarado joins the Taga lab for a rotation in the PMB department. Welcome Luis!

Article published at ISMEJ

Our paper, Uneven distribution of cobamide biosynthesis and dependence in bacteria predicted by comparative genomics, is now online at ISME J. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-018-0304-9

Taga lab at LAMG 2018

Michi Taga, Amanda Shelton, and Terrence Crofts at LAMG 2018
Past and present members of the Taga lab presented at the LAMG 2018 conference.

Taga lab at the PMB retreat!

Members of the Taga lab attended the 2018 Plant and Microbial Biology Department Retreat. Grad student Amanda Shelton won second place for her talk, and postdoc Zach Hallberg presented a poster.

Welcome to new undergrad, Victoria!

Fall 2018: Victoria Innocent joins the lab as an undergraduate researcher.

Pages

Subscribe to Front page feed