Fatty acid composition of Alcanivorax borkumensis grown on hydrophobic and hydrophilic carbon sources
Location
Havener Center, Miner Lounge / Wiese Atrium, 1:30pm-3:30pm
Start Date
4-1-2026 1:30 PM
End Date
4-1-2026 3:30 PM
Presentation Date
April 1, 2026; 1:30pm-3:30pm
Description
Alcanivorax borkumensis is a bacterium that uses hydrocarbons as its carbon source, commonly found where there are oil spills. It exhibits a rod-shaped morphology under hydrophilic conditions and a round shaped morphology under hydrophobic conditions, suggesting a difference in plasma membrane composition between the two conditions. Since bacterial attachment is integral to oil degradation, it is important to understand the fatty acid profile of the cells under different conditions. To determine the fatty acid composition of the cell membrane under the two conditions, A. borkumensis was grown with pyruvate (hydrophilic) or hexadecane (hydrophobic) as sole carbon sources. Planktonic cells from both conditions, and biofilm cells from the hexadecane condition were sent to the Leibniz Institute DSMZ – German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures for cellular fatty acid analysis. It was found that under hydrophobic conditions, there was a greater diversity of fatty acids as compared to hydrophilic conditions.
Biography
I am a junior in the biological sciences department, and I am pursuing a B.S. in biological sciences with minors in chemistry and bioinformatics. I have been doing research in Dr. Mormile’s lab since my freshman year. I am particularly interested in studying environmental microbiology and bioremediation. After earning my undergraduate degree, I plan on attending graduate school to pursue a PhD. My goal is to have a career in research in the field of environmental microbiology.
Meeting Name
2026 - Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference
Department(s)
Biological Sciences
Second Department
Chemistry
Document Type
Poster
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
event
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2026 The Authors, All rights reserved
Fatty acid composition of Alcanivorax borkumensis grown on hydrophobic and hydrophilic carbon sources
Havener Center, Miner Lounge / Wiese Atrium, 1:30pm-3:30pm
Alcanivorax borkumensis is a bacterium that uses hydrocarbons as its carbon source, commonly found where there are oil spills. It exhibits a rod-shaped morphology under hydrophilic conditions and a round shaped morphology under hydrophobic conditions, suggesting a difference in plasma membrane composition between the two conditions. Since bacterial attachment is integral to oil degradation, it is important to understand the fatty acid profile of the cells under different conditions. To determine the fatty acid composition of the cell membrane under the two conditions, A. borkumensis was grown with pyruvate (hydrophilic) or hexadecane (hydrophobic) as sole carbon sources. Planktonic cells from both conditions, and biofilm cells from the hexadecane condition were sent to the Leibniz Institute DSMZ – German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures for cellular fatty acid analysis. It was found that under hydrophobic conditions, there was a greater diversity of fatty acids as compared to hydrophilic conditions.
Comments
Advisor: Melanie R. Mormile, mmormile@mst.edu