Keitz Lab
Principal Investigator: Benjamin Keith Keitz
Institution: The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: ✅ Accepting PhD Students
Research Focus
Abstract Electroactive bacteria couple changes in the extracellular reduction-oxidation (redox) environment to their central carbon metabolism through extracellular electron transfer (EET). Several electroactive commensals and pathogens have been isolated from the human gut, oral cavity, and other locations, but their influence on host biology has not been examined. Accordingly, the overall goal of the proposed work is to uncover the fundamental role that EET plays in human health and to exploit this understanding to develop new therapeutics and biological catalysts. Building off our previous efforts studying the electroactive bacterium Shewanella oneidensis, we will first select for new-to-nature reactivity by engineering electron transfer proteins that couple the desired chemical reaction to cell growth. We hypothesize that EET can significantly accelerate the rate of new biological reaction discovery. Next, we will examine the role of EET in the healthy and diseased gut microenvironment. We hypothesize that EET contributes to iron homeostasis and will explore this possibility by combining animal models of gut dysbiosis with a novel droplet microfluidic assay capable of detecting…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R35GM156283-02: Therapeutic and Catalytic Applications of Electroactive Bacteria (2026)
- 1R35GM156283-01: Therapeutic and Catalytic Applications of Electroactive Bacteria (2025)
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