Spotlight on Student Research


Kristina Stott looking in microscope.Caulobacter crescentus' beta-ketoacyl ACP synthase FabH is essential for growth and division. Therefore, Kristina Stott is studying DNA replication regulation in a FabH mutant. Kristina hypothesized that the inability of Caulobacter to produce de novo fatty acids induces a starvation condition that leads to the activation of SpoT. SpoT is a regulatory enzyme that synthesizes the alarmone ppGpp, which orchestrates an appropriate transcriptional response to survive starvation. She has found that, when blocking de novo fatty acid biosynthesis, the transcription or accumulation of cell cycle master regulators that regulate DNA replication are altered in a SpoT-dependent manner. Understanding how lipid biosynthesis integrates with the control of the cell cycle master regulators will be an important addition to our understanding of cell cycle progression. Furthermore, understanding more about how bacteria replicate may reveal novel antibiotic targets. archives of Spotlight

Field Courses


Field Research Picture

CSUN offers many field courses in marine and terrestrial environments providing opportunities for hands-on research experience... details...