The Zastrow group combines biochemical and analytical approaches with microbiology to uncover and examine the roles of essential metals in the gut microbiota. Our research techniques span a range of areas centered around bioinorganic chemistry and chemical biology, including protein biochemistry and protein design, molecular biology, microbiology, fluorescence microscopy, and absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy.
Projects in the group focus on: 1) designing new fluorescent protein-based sensors for imaging metal ion dynamics in gut bacteria, 2) investigating metal ion requirements and homeostasis mechanisms of intestinal bacteria, and 3) studying extracellular metal-mediated interactions in the microbiota. We are interested in understanding how metals in gut microbes affect host health, disease, and immune response and hope to foster the development of novel therapeutics.
We are grateful for research support from University of Houston, the Welch Foundation, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation.