VAAM-Jahrestagung März in Marburg/Lahn. Tagungsband zur. Das Magazin für Biowissenschaften.

Transcription

1 D13808F ISSN BIO spektrum Das Magazin für Biowissenschaften 2015 Sonderausgabe Tagungsband zur VAAM-Jahrestagung März in Marburg/Lahn

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3 3 Jahrestagung der Vereinigung für Allgemeine und Angewandte Mikrobiologie (VAAM) Programme Annual Conference 2015 of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM) 1 4 March 2015 in Marburg, Conference Chair Organizing Society of the Conference Prof. Dr. Erhard Bremer VAAM Philipps-University of Marburg Vereinigung für Allgemeine und Angewandte Mikrobiologie Department of Biology Präsident: Prof. Dr. Dieter Jahn Laboratory for Microbiology Geschäftsstelle: Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 8 Mörfelder Landstraße Marburg (DE) Frankfurt am Main bremer@staff.uni-marburg.de Leiterin: Dr. Katrin Muth Main Programme 3 Content 4 Welcome Notes 6 Microbes and Microbiologists in Marburg 12 General Information 15 Karrieresymposium 18 Einladung Mitglieder versammlung & Social Programme 20 Sponsors 21 Media Cooperations 22 Exhibitors 24 Floor Plan 27 Aus den Fachgruppen der VAAM 34 Conference Programme Overview 38 Conference Programme 40 Scientific Programme 40 Sunday, 1 March Monday, 2 March Tuesday, 3 March Wednesday, 4 March 2015 Abstracts 59 Abstract Overview (page reference Abstract-ID) 61 Oral Presentations 61 Invited Speaker 64 Regulars 107 Special Groups 115 Industrial Symposium 116 Poster Presentations 250 Author index 256 Personalia aus der Mikrobiologie Promotionen Autoren Impressum About the cover: Upper row: Color-enhanced photographs of Bacillus subtilis NCIB3610 grown under biofilm-inducing conditions on an agar plate. The wild B. subtilis NCIB3610 isolate is a close relative of the most commonly used B. subtilis laboratory strain 168. B. subtilis 168 has been domesticated by bacterial geneticists and has thereby accidentally lost the ability to form robust biofilms, a property that has been retained by the B. subtilis NCIB3610 strain. The ancestor of the B. subtilis 168 strains was isolated around 1899 at the University of Marburg by Meyer and Gott heil and was defined in 1930 by Conn as the B. subtilis type strain. ( Tamara Hoffmann and Patricia Wagner) Lower row: Impressions about life and buildings in the University city of Marburg. ( Sabine Feuersänger, Markus Farnung, Oliver Geyer)

4 4 WELCOME NOTES Dear members of the VAAM, Dear members of the Microbial Community, ó It s a pleasure once again to welcome the members of the VAAM and other guests to Marburg for the Annual Microbiology Meeting. The last VAAM meeting held here was in I know that some of you were attendees and have special memories about this meeting. To more youthful visitors who find 1989 to be on the borderline to ancient history, I extend a particularly warm welcome. We invited a panel of internationally highly recognized speakers both from and abroad who will present and discuss with us the latest developments in the field of Microbial Evolution, Synthetic Microbiology, CRISPR-Systems and Viruses, Microbial Cell Biology, and Evolution. In addition to the plenary sessions, a broad range of topics in the area of General Microbiology will be covered in numerous symposia and in poster sessions that will, in particular, give students and young scientists the opportunity to present the central findings of their ongoing studies. It is these presentations that make the annual VAAM meetings so vibrant. I would like to take the opportunity to thank our invited speakers for coming to Marburg and we are exceptionally grateful to the numerous authors of oral and poster presentations for their contributions to this conference. We are very thankful to our main sponsors and industrial partners, as well as the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS) and the local DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center SFB-987 for the generous financial support of this meeting. I thank the president of the Philipps-University, Prof. Dr. Katharina Krause, for generously allowing us to use the facilities of the central lecture building to hold this conference is a special year for the VAAM since our society will be 30 years old. This is a time for reflection, but also for looking in a different way at our beloved bacteria, fungi and phages. The comedian Vince Ebert will present a refreshing outside view of the fascinating world of microorganisms. I thank all my colleagues from the Philipps University, the Max-Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, the LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, and the microbiology-oriented SFB-987 for their kind help in putting the program for this conference together. I am very grateful for their advice and support! Marburg is one of the oldest university towns in. History, culture, and science are interwoven in this city and all contribute to its attractiveness. Allow yourself to be enchanted in its charm and spirit! The members of the organizing committee welcome you all wholeheartedly for four days of exciting science, meeting colleagues and friends, making new acquaintances, and of course also for some fun! I hope that you all will say when you go back home again after the end of this conference on March 4th: science was great, we enjoyed ourselves and we all will definitely come back to Marburg for a new VAAM Meeting! Fortunately, I certainly will be retired by then and unavailable to serve as an organizer for this future conference. ó For the Microbial Community in Marburg, Erhard Bremer, Conference Chair Welcome of the President of the VAAM to the Annual Conference 2015 cial commitment to the support of young scientists. Clearly, the strength and success of our organization is largely built on a long series of very successful conferences, where students and professionals from academia and industry come together for an intense scientific and social exchange. Additionally, the attractiveness of these conferences is ensured by the high quality of the speakers and presentations. This year, the organizers have selected again a variety of very interesting, state-of-the-art topics including Synthetic Microbiology, Bacterial Cell Biology, Microbial Evolution, CRISPR-Systems and Viruses, and Symbiosis. Finally, I want to thank especially Erhard Bremer from the Microbial Underground in Marburg, all members of the Organization Committee, Conventus, and Katrin Muth for ó Dear Colleagues and Friends, the highlight of each year for our society is its annual meeting. Exactly 25 years after the conference took place in Marburg for the first time, we meet for the 30th anniversary of the VAAM again in this beautiful city. I have a special relationship to the city and university of Marburg. The Philipps-Universität Marburg is the old alma mater of my wife Martina and me. Both our sons were born here. It is also very special that we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the VAAM in Marburg. We look back on 30 exciting years of scientific and educational activities covering the full scope of microbiology, with a continuously increasing number of members and a spetheir great efforts and commitment in organizing the Annual Conference in Marburg. I would also like to thank all scientists for their contributions. I am convinced that we will have an exciting conference with stimulating discussions and I would like to encourage you to join us in Marburg for this outstanding scientific event. ó Enjoy the Conference and Happy Birthday VAAM! Dieter Jahn

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6 6 MICROBES AND MICROBIOLOGISTS IN MARBURG Microbes and Microbiologists in Marburg The arrival of the Marburg virus in was connected with research conducted at the Behring Werke in The likely origin of the virus were green macaques, apes that were imported by this pharmaceutical company from Africa in connection with experiments to establish kidney cell cultures that were needed to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis. In a tour de force, and without precise knowledge of the danger that lurked in handling infected patients, tissue, and body fluids (seven patients died during outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt), the infectious agent was identified as a virus in a fast-paced collaboration between members of the Hygiene-Institute in Marburg (Slenczka) and the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute in Hamburg (Peters and Müller). This type of virus had a morphology not seen before; it became the founding member of the Filoviridae family. The christening of the virus put Marburg on the world map of the most deadly infectious agents. The Marburg virus has a close relative; the notorious Ebola virus. Its recent uncontrolled outbreak in Africa reminds us how vulnerable mankind is against infectious diseases that jump from animal reservoirs to humans. The Institute for Virology of the Philipps-University under the successive leadership of Hans-Dieter Klenk and Stephan Becker has been at the forefront of research on the bioló If a microbiologist thinks about Marburg, a sleepy little University town in Hesse, two names come immediately to mind: Emil von Behring and the Marburg virus. Both names are connected with the Hygiene-Institute of the Philipps-University that was founded in 1885 and whose first director was Max Rubner. R. Siegert, a long-time director ( ) of this institute, succinctly summarized the history and impressive accomplishments of the members of the Hygiene- Institute in the fields of bacteriology, public health, immunology, and virology. His overview article [1] appeared in the abstract booklet of the VAAM Annual Meeting held in Marburg in 1989, the first-ever abstract booklet published by the VAAM in connection with its yearly scientific meeting. This meeting (Fig. 1) was organized together with Section I of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie (DGHM) and the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Microbiologie (NVvM); about microbiologists came to Marburg to participate in this memorable conference from the 19th to the 22nd of March Emil von Behring Without doubt, Emil von Behring is the most prominent member of the Hygiene-Institute (director from ). His ground-breaking work in the field of microbiology and the discovery of serum therapy saved countless lives and earned him in 1901 the Nobel Prize, the first ever awarded in the fields of medicine and physiology. In his work, Emil von Behring connected excellence in science with entrepreneurship through the foundation of the Behring Werke that produced and marketed sera against various kinds of deadly infectious diseases such as tetanus and diphtheria. In remembrance of Emil von Behring, the Philips-University Marburg awards on a regular basis a prestigious prize that honors outstanding contributions in the fields of microbial infection biology, immunology and virology ( Behring-Preis). The Emil von Behring-Prize is currently proudly sponsored and funded by one of the successor companies of the former Behring Werke, Novartis Vaccines. [1] Siegert, R. (1989) 100 Jahre Hygiene-Institute der Philipps-University Marburg; Forum Mikrobiologie 1 2/89: 3 6. Fig. 1. The keynote speaker of the 1989 VAAM Meeting in Marburg, Julius Adler (Madison, WI, USA), in conversation with Hans Gerhard Schwick (CEO of the Behringwerke AG) and Wolfgang Buckel (co-organizer of the 1989 VAAM Meeting). Marburg virus ogy of the Marburg and Ebola viruses and actively participates in efforts to develop remedies against infections by these deadly viruses. A state of the art biosafety level 4 (BSL4) high security facility, one of the only two laboratories of this type that currently operate in, allows advanced work with these highly contagious viruses. Microbiology in the Medical School From 1974 on, the Marburg Hygiene Institute developed into a center comprising the Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, the Institute of Immunology and the Institute of Virology, whose present members and their scientific interests are listed in Fig. 2. The three Institutes moved in 2007 into the newly built Biomedical Research Center located on the Campus Lahnberge of the Philipps- University. In Fig. 2 also the Institute of Cytobiology and Cytopathology is listed. These are the four institutes, with which the microbiologists outside the medical school in Marburg (Fig. 3) collaborate in Graduate Schools and Collaborative Research Centers (see below). Microbiology in the Department of Biology Until the beginning of the 1960s, bacteria were considered by botanists to belong to the lower plants and cyanobacteria to the algae. In the Botanical Institute at the Department

7 7 Ins tute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene Hans-Meerwein-Straße 2 Michael Lohoff Immune response during H. pylori infec ons; Transcrip on factors during immune responses Magdalena Huber T-cell immune responses Reinier Mu ers Hospital Hygiene Ulrich Steinhoff Microbiome and immune responses; The role of the proteasom in inflamma on and allergy Ins tute of Immunology Hans-Meerwein-Straße 2 Stefan Bauer Innate Immunology Michael Bacher An microbial proteins in immune response and inflammatory reac ons Markus Schnare An microbial proteins in immune response and inflammatory reac ons Philipp Yu Autoimmunity and allergy; Virus-induced immunodeficiency Ins tute of Virology Hans-Meerwein-Straße 2 Stephan Becker Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis of Filoviruses Eva Friebertshäuser Role of Host Proteases in Influenza Virus Infec on Wolfgang Garten Structure andd func on of Viral Glycoproteines Hans-Dieter Klenk (Em.) Molecular Determinants of Influenza Virus Pathogenesis Andrea Maisner Structure and Replica on of Measles and Nipah Viruses Ins tute of Cytobiology and Cytopathology Robert-Koch-Str. 6 Roland Lill Biosynthesis of cellular iron-sulfur proteins Hans-Peter Elsässer Regula on of autophagy in liver cells Ralph Jacobs Vesicular carriers fifor apical l transport Ulrich Mühlenhoff Cellular iron transport and the regula on of cellular iron homeostasis in eukaryotes. Mikhail Matrosovich Influenza Virus Evolu on Thomas Strecker Structure and Replica on of Lassavirus Ralph T. Schwarz Molecular and biochemical Parasitology Friedemann Weber RNA Viruses and Innate Immunity Fig. 2. Scientists working in the area of infection biology and cytobiology at the Philipps-University Marburg of Biology of the Philipps University, A. Henssen explored Actinomycetes, D. Werner studied Rhizobia and W. Wehrmeyer worked with Cyanobacteria, to name only a few botanists from the Dept. of Biology interested in microbes. In 1976, a dedicated professorship for microbiology was founded at the Dept. of Biology of the Philipps-University. The establishment of the Fachgebiet Mikrobiologie at the Dept. of Biology marked an important event in the development of this field at the Philipps-University; Rolf Thauer was appointed as the first professor of General Microbiology. In 1980, a second professorship for Microbiology was established and Achim Kröger was its first incumbent. When Kröger left Marburg to take up a full professorship at the University of Frankfurt, Berhard Schink came to Marburg in 1985 only to be called away already in the year 1987 by an offer for full professorship at the University of Tübingen. Wolfgang Buckel then filled this vacant professorship in the same year and he held this position until his formal retirement in Subsequently, he became a Max Planck Fellow and continues to this day his work on the mechanisms of enzymes in anaerobic bac- teria in the Laboratory for Microbiology at the Philipps-University. In connection with the foundation of the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in 1991, a third professorship was established to strengthen the field of Molecular Microbiology at the Philipps- University. This position was filled in 1995 with Erhard Bremer who originally came to Marburg in 1992 as a tenured group leader to work in the Dept. of Biochemistry at the MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology. The retirement of R. Thauer from his duties at the Philipps-University in 2005 enabled the Dept. of Biology to hire Martin Thanbichler, first as a tenure track Junior Professor ( ) and, subsequent to an offer from the LMU München, as professor for Cellular Microbiology (since 2014). The professorship formerly held by W. Buckel was awarded in 2008 to Johann Heider, who is a microbial biochemist. Microbial Genetics One of the drivers of modern Microbiology is the field of microbial genetics. In recognizing this, the Philipps-University established a professorship for this discipline at the Dept. of Biology that was filled in 1983 with Albrecht Klein. A second professorship in genetics was founded in 1989 and Bernhard Erni took on these duties. After Erni left Marburg for the University of Bern (Switzerland), Michael Bölker became professor for Genetics in the year 1997 and Hans-Ulrich Mösch was hired in 2004 by the Dept. of Biology to replace Klein upon his retirement. Klein, Erni, Bölker, and Mösch are all microbial geneticists that work/ed either with Archaea (Klein) Bacteria (Erni) or Fungi (Bölker and Mösch). Right from the beginning, the laboratories for Microbiology and Genetics at the Dept. of Biology co-operated closely, both in research and in teaching. MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology A game-changing event for Microbiology in Marburg was the foundation of the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in the year Rolf Thauer served as the founding director and held joint appointments both at the Philipps-University and the MPI in the years between 1991 and He then served exclusively as head of the Dept. of Biochemistry at the MPI and since 2007 as the leader of an Emeritus research group; he

8 8 MICROBES AND MICROBIOLOGISTS IN MARBURG Laboratory of Microbiology in the Dept. of Biology (Karl-von-Frisch-Straße Fi hst 8) Erhard Bremer Microbial osmoregula on Wolfgang Buckel (Em.) Mechanisms of enzymes from anaerobic bacteria Johann Heider Microbial biochemistry Mar n Thanbichler Cellular microbiology (Hans-Meerwein-Str. 4) Laboratory of Microbial Gene cs in the Dept. of Biology (Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 8) Michael Bölker Regula on of cytokinesis in Basidiomycetes Hans-Ulrich Mösch Regula on of fungal dimorphism and cell adhesion LOEWE Center for Synthe c Microbiology (Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6 and Karl-von- Frisch-Str. 16) Anke Becker Compara ve genomics Peter Graumann Molecular and cellular biochemistry of microorganisms Victor Sourjik Microbial networks Group leaders at Synmikro: Gert Bange Structure of regulatory modules Georg Fritz Computa onal microbiology Kris na Jonas Microbial stress response Torsten Waldminghaus Chromosome replica on und segrega on Barbara Weidner Cell division and cellular morphology MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology (Karl-von-Frisch-Straße Fi hst 10) Andreas Brune Insect gut microbiology and symbiosis Ralf Conrad Microbial metabolism of trace gases Werner Liesack Methanotrophic bacteria Regine Kahmann Molecular phytopathology Seigo Shima Microbial protein structure Lo e Sogaard-Andersen Bacterial development and differen a on Victor Sourjik Microbial Networks Rolf Thauer (Em.) Microbial Biochemistry i Non-tenured group leaders Knut Drescher Bacterial Biofilms Tobias J. Erb Biochemistry and Synthe c Biology of Microbial Metabolism Hannes Link Dynamic Control of Metabolic Networks Lennart Randau Prokaryo c Small RNA Biology Simon Ringgaard Intracellular organiza on and differen a on of bacteria Dept. of Biochemistry in the Dept. of Chemistry (Hans-Meerwein-Str. 4) Lars-Oliver Essen Structural biochemistry Mohamed Marahiel Non-ribosomal pep de synthesis Fig. 3. Scientists working in the area of general and applied microbiology at the Philipps-University Marburg and at the Max Planck Institute for Micro - biology retired at the end of The other directors of the MPI are Ralf Conrad (head of the Dept. of Biogeochemistry; since 1991), Regine Kahmann (head of the Dept. of Organismic Interactions; since 2000), Lotte Sogaard- Andersen (head of the Dept. of Ecophysiology; since 2004) and Victor Sourjik (head of the Dept. of Systems and Synthetic Microbiology; since 2014). In addition, Andreas Brune holds a senior research position at the Dept. of Biogeochemistry (since 2003). A considerable number of permanent and temporary research groups are housed by the Max Planck Institute (Fig. 3) and have significantly strengthened the research activities in various fields of microbiology in Marburg. Free floaters A highly successful tool of the Max Planck Society to nurture the careers of young scientists is the so-called Free-Floater program. The leaders of these independent research groups are chosen through a highly selective evaluation procedure and then can choose (hence the name!) at which institute of the Max Planck Society they want to work. It tells its own tale that, since start of the program in 2006, six of the selected group leaders chose Marburg to establish their laboratories: (i) Sonja-Verena Albers (now professor at the University in Freiburg), (ii) Martin Thanbichler (now professor at the University in Marburg), (iii) Eva Stukenbrock (now professor at the University in Kiel), (iv) Lennart Randau (since 2010), (v) Tobias Erb (since 2014), and (vi) Knut Drescher (since 2014). Joint appointments and activities The building of the MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology is located right next to the building of the Dept. of Biology of the Philipps-University (Fig. 4). This close spatial neighborhood signalized the establishment of fruitful ties between these two institutions in research and teaching. A reflection of these connections is the co-appointment of R. Kahmann and L. Sogaard-Andersen as full professors at the Dept. of Biology; R. Conrad, V. Sourjik and A. Brune were awarded honorary professorships by the Philipps-University. These ties between the Philipps-University and the MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology considerably enriched the research activities in various fields of microbiology in Marburg. It allowed the sharing of facilities such as the mechanics workshop and lecture halls, and of equipment, and mobilized additional financial resources and expertise for teaching. International Max Planck Research School Based on these joint activities, the International Max Planck Research School for Environmental, Cellular and Molecular Microbiology (IMPRS-Mic; was established in 2003 as a joint effort between the Philipps-University and the Max Planck Society. It went through two rounds of competitive peer review and, as a reflection of its success and international visibility, is now in its third funding period (until 2020). Striving for excellence, the IMPRS-Mic recruits outstanding PhD students from abroad and from within. In addition to their 3-year PhD research projects, they are trained through lectures, seminars and practical courses in advanced techniques in a broad range of topics and learn the

9 9 skills required for a successful career in science or industry. As a hallmark of the IMPRS- Mic, each student chooses his own thesis advisory committee. Typically members from both the MPI and the Philipps-University serve on the committees and participate in supervising and directing the research efforts of the PhD students. Currently, approximately 30 experienced group leaders and professors are involved in the IMPRS-Mic. Lotte Sogaard- Andersen spearheaded the intense training efforts of the IMPRS-Mic for many years. DFG-funded collaborations The close collaborations of groups from various departments from the Philipps-University and subsequently with the MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology enabled the microbiologically oriented research community in Marburg to successfully compete for DFG-funded collaborative research projects. This started in 1990 with the Graduiertenkolleg Enzyme Chemistry ( ), followed by the Graduiertenkolleg Protein Function at the Atomic Level ( ). Groups from the Laboratories of Microbiology and Genetics and the MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology also participate in the Graduiertenkolleg Intraand Intercellular Transport and Communication ( In 1996, the Collaborative Research Center SFB-395 was established that thematically focused on Interaction, Adaptation and Catalytic Capability of Soil Microorganisms. In 2012 a new SFB (987) started its work with a scientific focus on Microbial Diversity in Environmental Signal Response ( Groups at the MPI also participate in the work of the SFB-593, which focuses on the Mechanisms of Cellular Compartmentalization and the Relevance for Disease ( ) ( Fig. 4. Building of the MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology and its close spatial location to the building of the Dept. of Biology of the Philipps-University Marburg. ganisms between each other and with their eukaryotic hosts, and the countless contributions that microorganisms make to global cycles operating on our planet. Microorganisms are diverse and thus the studied objects and processes must be diverse as well; it is that simple! Microbial diversity lies at the heart of evolution and prepares microbial cells, masters of change, for whatever challenges might lie ahead. Undergraduate and graduate teaching The varied research activities and the large number of microorganisms studied in Marburg transcends into the focused teaching activities to train the next generation of microbiologists in the best possible ways. Teaching is high on the agenda of the microbiologists working in Marburg, be it through lectures, seminars, practical courses, lab rotations, Bachelor, Master and PhD thesis projects and through concerted efforts of graduate schools. Students enrolled in studying microbiology in Marburg are offered a broad choice both with respect to the organisms and processes they might want to study. After their studies, many of them have found satisfying and influential positions in industry or academia. This shows that Marburg is a good place to study Microbiology! Training young researchers There is one other aspect of Microbial Diversity that we want to point out here since it is Microbial Diversity The title of the ongoing SFB-987 heralds one of the real strengths of microbial research in Marburg. Instead of focusing just on a few model microorganisms, the research groups work with a large variety of Bacteria, Archaea, and Fungi and study their properties both under controlled laboratory conditions and in their natural habitats. A breadth of approaches and techniques are applied with the aim to understand specific activities and signaling processes of defined species, the behavior of individual cells and microbial communities, the interactions of microoroften overlooked. If our work in Marburg was focused exclusively on just a few model microorganisms (let s say Bacillus and Ustilago), it would over time become increasingly hard for aspiring young group leaders to find appropriate positions in academia, regardless how brilliant they might be in their respective research fields. Given that the research activities of the many young group leaders in the fields of microbiology and microbial genetics are diverse in Marburg, there is plenty of room for each of them to flourish and successfully compete for academic positions. This concept is a success story and in Table 1 we list all those 54 individuals who have been trained in Marburg and went on to become respected colleagues in our profession; we are proud of each of them! Center for Synthetic Microbiology A second game-changing event for Microbiology in Marburg was the foundation of the LOEWE Center Synthetic Microbiology (Synmikro) in the year LOEWE is the acronym for Landes-Offensive zur Entwicklung Wissenschaftlich-ökonomischer Exzellenz ( For the center three new colleagues joined Marburg: Anke Becker (Comparative Genomics), Peter Graumann (Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry of Microorganisms), and Victor Sourjik (Microbial Networks), who is also Director at the Max Planck Institute. Additionally, the center allowed establishing

10 10 MICROBES AND MICROBIOLOGISTS IN MARBURG Since 1991 (continued) Michael Bott (KFA Jülich; University Düsseldorf) Penelope Higgs (Wayne State University, Detroit, USA) Gabriele Diekert (University Jena) Peter Janssen (AgResearch, Palmerston North, NZ) Bernd Eikmanns (University Ulm) Dieter Jahn (Technical University Braunschweig) Georg Fuchs (University Freiburg) Mohamed Jebbar (University of Brest; France) Ken Hammel (University of Wisconsin, USA) Jörg Kämper (University Karlsruhe) Jacob Kristjansson (University of Iceland at Jihoe Kim (Yeungnam University, Korea) Reykjavik) Fuli Li (CAS Institute for Biotechnology, Qingdao, China) Kesen Ma (University of Waterloo, Canada) Yahai Lu (Agricultural University, Beijing, China) Sabine Rospert (University it Freiburg) Erica Lyon (Roger Williams University, RI, USA) Paul Scherer (University Hamburg) Matthias Mack (Fachhochschule Mannheim) Peter Schönheit (University Kiel) Georgi Muskhelishvili (Jacobs-University Bremen) Alfred Spormann (Stanford University) Antonio Pierik (University Kaiserslautern) Fritz Widdel (MPI Bremen) Barbara Reinhold (University Bremen) Ajit Varma (Neruh University, New Delhi, India) Karin Sauer (State University at Binghampton, NY, USA) Gary Sawers (University Halle) Jan Shi Schirawski ki(rwth Aachen) Since 1991 Ruth Schmitz (University Kiel) Sonja-Verena Albers (University Freiburg) Sylvia Schnell (University Giessen) Susumu Asakawa (Kumamoto University, Japan) Thorsten Selmer (Fachhochschule Aachen) Erhard Bremer (University Marburg) Matthias Brock (University Nottingham, UK) Petra Dersch (Technical University Braunschweig) Gunther Döhlemann (University Köln) Evert Duin (Auburn University, Alabama, USA) Peter Dunfield (University Calgary, Canada) Michael Feldbrügge (University Düsseldorf) Reinhard Fischer (University Karlsruhe) Philipp Franken (Humboldt-University Berlin) ( y ) four non-tenured junior groups that tackle scientific problems in microbial cell biology (Kristina Jonas), structural biology of microbial proteins and protein complexes (Gert Bange), chromosome biology of microorganisms (Torsten Waldminghaus) and computational microbiology (Georg Fritz). We remember with great respect our colleague Alexander Böhm who came to Marburg at the beginning of 2012 as a junior group leader for the Synmikro Center and unexpectedly died at the end of Whereas the groups of Anke Becker, Peter Graumann and the four junior groups are currently housed in renovated labs of the Philipps-University in Hans-Meerwein Str. 6, the group of Victor Sourjik is housed in a newly erected building that is located between the Max Planck Institute and Hans- Meerwein-Str. 6. The director of the Synmikro Center is Bruno Eckhardt, a colleague from the Dept. of Physics; Anke Becker serves as the vicedirector. The choice of a physicist as the director of an endeavor that focuses on microorganisms seems unusual at first sight, but Synmikro is an initiative that embraces groups from the fields of biology, chemistry, pharmacy, medicine, mathematics and physics to look at microorganisms in a new way; this requires the deviation from well-traveled roads. The main goal of the Synmikro Center in Marburg is to further the understanding of the inner workings of microbial cells and their communication with the outside world. Gero Steinberg (University of Exeter, GB) Eva Stukenbrock (University Kiel) Martin Thanbichler (University Marburg) Kai Thormann (University Giessen) Matthias Ulrich (Jacobs-University Bremen) Helle Ulrich (Institute for Molecular Biology, Mainz) Uwe Völker (University Greifswald) Julia Vorholt (ETH Zürich) David Weiss (University of Iowa, USA) Alga Zuccaro (University Köln) Michael Friedrich (University Bremen) g ( y ) Table microbiologists who were trained either at the Laboratory of Microbiology of the Dept. of Biology of the Philipps-University, or at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, or were research group leaders there and are now professors. Using synthetic approaches, these processes are not only described from a biological, genetic and biochemical point of view but also in a quantitative manner, and this requires also the modeling of cellular processes. The considerable expertise in various fields of microbiology that we have here in Marburg also helps to exploit the boundless biosynthetic potential of microorganisms for practical purposes. Cell biology The field of microbiology is highly dynamic. Technical revolutions such as whole genome sequencing, meta-genomics, proteomics, and meta-transcriptomics provide incentives and opportunities to tackle scientific questions from viewpoints that were not experimentally approachable before. Due to their small size, bacterial cells were long seen as unsuitable objects to study them from the perspective of a cell biologist. Striking improvements in microscopy and the advent of fluorescent labels and proteins changed all that and have provided already fascinating new insights into the makeup of cellular structures, developmental processes and the dynamics of individual proteins and protein complexes within single cells. Microbial cell biology is certainly a blooming field. Recognizing this early on, concerted efforts were made in recent years in Marburg to strengthen and expand our expertise in this area; the hiring of Martin Thanbichler and Peter Graumann testifies to this. The increased local activities in cellular microbiology were only possible through the generous funding within the framework of the LOEWE initiative by the government of Hesse. A new building for Synmikro In a highly welcomed decision, the Central Science Advisory Committee to the German government (Wissenschaftsrat) recommended in April 2014 the funding of a large new building to house the microbiologically oriented groups and activities of Synmikro in Marburg under one roof. This new building will have space of about qm 2 and about 61 million EUR have been allocated to its construction and equipping. It will be located on the expanding campus on the Lahnberge right next to the MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology, the already existing facilities of Synmikro and the buildings of the Dept. of Biology and Chemistry (just newly built) of the Philipps- University. It is expected to be operational in 2019/2020. We anticipate that this new building will foster even closer ties between groups, the cost-effective sharing of equipment and joint efforts in teaching. Nothing is better for the advancement of science than chatting with a colleague or a student over a cup of coffee! Swan Song We took the Annual Meeting of the VAAM in March 2015 as an opportunity to reflect on the past development and future of microbiological-oriented research and teaching in Marburg. With gratitude to our colleagues, co-workers and countless students, we conclude that microbiology in Marburg is alive and well. The members of the local Microbial Community head enthusiastically into the future! ó Marburg, Dec Erhard Bremer Rolf Thauer

11 springer-spektrum.de Mikrobiologie das bewährte Laborhandbuch Eckhard Bast Mikrobiologische Methoden 3., überarb. u. erg. Aufl. 2014, XVIII, 472 S. 31 Abb. Brosch. ISBN (D) 39,95 (A) 41,11 *sfr 50,00 Dieses bewährte Laborhandbuch richtet sich an Studierende und Dozenten der Biologie, Biotechnologie und Medizin, an Biologielehrer, an technische Assistenten und an Wissenschaftler in Forschung, Industrie und Untersuchungslabors. Es bietet auch in der Neuauflage präzise und reproduzierbare Man-nehme - Vorschriften der wichtigsten mikrobiologischen Methoden sowie theoretische Grundlagen und Hinweise zur Auswertung, zur Leistungsfähigkeit und zu den Grenzen der behandelten Arbeitstechniken. Das Buch hat sich als unentbehrlicher Begleiter für alle erwiesen, die erste Erfahrungen im Umgang mit Mikroorganismen, insbesondere mit Bakterien, sammeln und sich über die gängigen Standardmethoden informieren wollen. Für die 3. Auflage wurde der Text überarbeitet und an zahlreichen Stellen ergänzt. Unter anderem wurden die Regeln der Biostoffverordnung, Schnelltests zur Gramfärbung und die Epifluoreszenzmikroskopie mit einer Reihe von Färbeverfahren neu aufgenommen. Toptitel (D) sind gebundene Ladenpreise in Deutschland und enthalten 7% MwSt. (A) sind gebundene Ladenpreise in Österreich und enthalten 10% MwSt. Die mit * gekennzeichneten Preise sind unverbindliche Preisempfehlungen und enthalten die landesübliche MwSt. Preisänderungen und Irrtümer vorbehalten. Jetzt bestellen: springer-spektrum.de A12734

12 12 GENERAL INFORMATION Venue Philipps-University of Marburg Hörsaalgebäude Biegenstraße Marburg (DE) Address for correspondence Conventus Congressmanagement & Marketing GmbH Alexandra Vogel Carl-Pulfrich-Strasse Jena (DE) Phone: +49 (0) Fax: +49 (0) Registration Please register online at Conference Tickets Member VAAM/GBM/DECHEMA 1 Student (Member VAAM/GBM/DECHEMA) 1 Member Retiree Non-Member Student (Non-Member) 1 Non Member Retiree Day Tickets Member VAAM/GBM/DECHEMA 1 Student (Member VAAM/GBM/DECHEMA) 1 Member Retiree Non-Member Student (Non-Member) 1 Regular Registration (from 21/12/2014) 230 EUR 85 EUR 100 EUR 295 EUR 110 EUR 140 EUR 95 EUR 40 EUR 40 EUR 120 EUR 110 EUR 1 Proof of status required. Please send via to registrierung@conventus.de, via Fax or postal at Conventus GmbH Keyword: VAAM 2015 Carl- Pulfrich-Straße Jena (DE) Social Programme 2 Welcome Reception, 1 March 2015 for participants Welcome Reception, 1 March 2015 accompanying person Mixer, 3 March 2015 for participants Mixer, 3 March 2015 accompanying person 2 Registration required. included 15 EUR included 25 EUR KombiTicket (public transport) You may purchase Conference Ticket from Conventus GmbH to use public transport in Marburg during the Annual Conference of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM). KombiTicket 5 EUR Payment/Confirmation of Payment Please process the payment after receipt of the invoice, making reference to the invoice number. Payment via credit card is also possible (Master-/Eurocard, AmericanExpress, Visa Card). Should you transfer your invoice amount within 10 days of the start of the event, please present your transfer remittance slip at the Check-In desk as proof of payment. Registration fees include: Participation in the scientific programme as well as access to the industrial exhibition Welcome Reception Conference documents (programme, abstract book, etc.) Beverages within the scope of the breaks given in the programme The conference fee also includes the provision of snacks and drinks at the welcome reception as well as buffet and beverages at the mixer. General Terms and Conditions You can find the general terms and conditions on our conference website Check-In The Check-In will be at the entrance of the Philipps-University of Marburg. No waiting lines at the counter! With our Quick Check-In you can check in fast and comfortably by yourself. After your invoice is paid you receive a QR code (approximately 2 weeks prior to the congress itself). Please hold it under the scanner at the Quick Check-In counter on site. Your name badge will be printed out directly in seconds and your registration is completed. Opening Hours Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Industrial h h h h Exhibition Check-In h h h h Media Check-In h h h h Internet We can offer you the following opportunities for internet usage: Education Roaming (eduroam) If your home university participates in eduroam and you have an internet account at your home university, you should be able to use the eduroam network at the Philipps-University Marburg. Just follow these easy steps: Follow the eduroam tutorials of your home university. As Wi-Fi network choose eduroam. For user name, outer identity, inner identity and password, exclusively follow the eduroam tutorials of your home university. Please keep in mind that a short outer identity (e.g., only Muellerx) will not work in eduroam networks. Hint: Before you use the eduroam network at the Philipps-University Marburg, we suggest to first successfully connect at least one time with the eduroam network at your home university. Voucher Every participant has the opportunity to buy a voucher at the Check- In. The voucher is valid for the conference time and costs 2.50 EUR per device.

13 13 Conference Language The conference language is English. Poster Session The poster presentations are divided in two sessions. The posters should be switched by the authors in the time between Monday evening (19:30 h) and Tuesday morning (10:00 h). Poster Session I (from Sunday to Monday, 19:30 hrs): Cell Biology and Cell Cycle Environmental Microbiology Free Topics Microbial Ecology Microbial Evolution Microbial Interactions Protein Folding and Degradation Single Cell Analysis Symbiosis Toxin-/Anti-Toxins Translocation of Large Molecules across Membranes and Protein Targeting Translocation of Small Molecules across Membranes Poster Session II (from Tuesday to Wednesday) Biotechnology CRISPR-Cas, Viruses and Regulatory RNAs Gene Regulation Metabolism, Enzymes and Cofactors Microbial Stress Responses Microbiology of Anaerobes Secondary Messengers Secondary Metabolites Sensing and Adaptation Synthetic Microbiology Travel and City Map Travel by Car Address: Biegenstraße 14, Marburg Please be reminded that car parking in Marburg is severely limited! If you are driving to Marburg from Frankfurt, you take the highway A5, following the signs directing you towards the city Kassel. At the Gambacher Kreuz take highway A45. This will take you to Marburg via Giessen. At the Südkreuz Gießen take highway A485 and follow the signs directing you towards Marburg. This highway leads into the through-road B3 (keep left) which then goes directly to Marburg. Once you are on the B3 and have reached Marburg, take the exit Marburg-Mitte and then turn right. At the next traffic lights turn right into the Erlenring and follow the signs to the Stadtmitte. Please follow now the instructions listed in section 3. If you are coming from Kassel, you will also need to get on the through-road B3 (depending on your departure location, first the A49 then the B3), and follow the signs directing you to Marburg. Once you are on the B3 and have reached Marburg, take the exit Marburg- Mitte and turn right at the next traffic lights into the Erlenring. Follow the signs to the Stadtmitte. The Erlenring leads you over a bridge across the river Lahn. Keep in the right lane when crossing the bridge. After crossing the bridge, take the first right turn into the Rudolphsplatz. This will take you to downtown Marburg and the university. After 300 meters you can see the Hörsaalgebäude on the left side. At the Hörsaalgebäude there will be no parking spaces available. We recommend to use the underground car park Lahncenter/Welcome Hotel or the car park Pilgrimstein. These car parks are only 5 walking minutes away from the conference venue. Underground Car Park Lahncenter/Welcome Hotel Address: Biegenstraße 12, Marburg Maximum daily fee: 14 EUR Car Park Pilgrimstein Address: Am Pilgrimstein 17, Marburg Maximum daily fee: 14 EUR After you passed the Hörsaalgebäude follow the main street and turn left on the next crossing. After about 500 meters turn left into Pilgrimstein. Almost at the end of the street you can see the car park. More information about the Car Parks in Marburg can be found on the congress homepage: Travel by Public Transport Once you have arrived in Marburg main station (this is the station Marburg/Lahn ; please do NOT leave the train at Marburg/Südbahnhof ), you must cross the main street (cross the lanes travelling in both directions) and go to the bus stop on the right side of the road. You can reach the center of town and the university easily from the train station: The buses with the numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 und 7 will take you into the city. To get to the university, you would exit the bus at the station Stadthalle. Travel by Train Acting today for tomorrow: Travel by train from 99 Euro with 100% green power to the Annual Conference 2015 of the VAAM. In cooperation with Conventus Congressmanagement & Marketing GmbH and Deutsche Bahn you travel safely and conveniently to the Annual Conference 2015 of the VAAM in Marburg! Your way to save the environment: Travel with 100% green power to your event with Deutsche Bahn long-distance services. We guarantee to get the energy you needed for your journey in from 100% renewable sources. The price for your Event Ticket for a return trip* to Marburg is: for defined train connection for all trains 2nd class 99 EUR 139 EUR 1st class 159 EUR 199 EUR Our call center is glad to inform you about the ticket price for international journeys. This special offer is valid for all congresses of Conventus Congressmanagement & Marketing GmbH in To book call +49 (0) ** and quote CONVENTUS as reference. Have your credit card ready please. ** An advance booking of at least three days is required. Changes and reimbursement before the first day of validity are EUR 15 excluded from the first day of validity onwards. Passengers restrict themselves to a particular train and travel times. For a supplement of EUR 40 full flexible tickets are also available for domestic travels within. ** The booking line is available from Monday to Saturday h. Calls will be charged at 0.40 EUR per call, from mobiles 0.60 EUR per call maximum.

14 14 GENERAL INFORMATION City Map 1 2 Marburg Tourismus und Marketing GmbH 1 Venue 2 Mixer

15 15 Karrieresymposium Vorstellung verschiedener Berufsbilder in den Biowissenschaften Anregungen und Tipps Dienstag, 3. März Uhr, Hörsaal 00/0070 Christian Kandt, Bonn Promotion, Postdoc, Gruppenleiter und dann? Praktische Erfahrungen aus dem Wissenschaftsbetrieb *** Anke Werse, Darmstadt Thermo Fisher Scientific Kinder, Küche und Karriere Ein Erfahrungsbericht als Managerin in einem großen Konzern *** Julia Morzfeld, Wiesbaden Bundeskriminalamt, Abteilung Humanspuren 100% Bio Das Berufsbild von Biologen in der Kriminaltechnik 67. Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h. c. Helge Karch Prof. Dr. med. Georg Peters Abstract-Deadline: 31. Mai

16 Hessisches Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Energie, Verkehr und Landesentwicklung Hessen-Biotech zentrale Plattform, Ansprechpartner und Kooperationspartner Hessen-Biotech und Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH Schnittstelle für Wirtschaft & Wissenschaft Kooperationspartner für die -Akteure VAAM Jahrestagung 2015 Hessen-Biotech HAUPTSPONSOR März 2015, Marburg Synmikro Symposium 2015 Hessen-Biotech KOOPERATIONSPARTNER Microbial Biosensors & Regulatory Circuits Mittwoch, 22. April 2015 Das Projekt wird kofinanziert aus Mitteln der Europäischen Union.

17 JAHRESTAGUNG ANNUAL CONFERENCE of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology MARCH 2016 JENA GERMANY CONFERENCE CHAIR Prof. Dr. Axel Brakhage Friedrich Schiller University Jena Institute of Microbiology and Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology Hans Knoell Institute Jena VENUE Friedrich Schiller University Jena Campus Ernst-Abbe-Platz Carl-Zeiss-Straße Jena, TOPICS Microbial communication Natural products Infection biology Biotechnology/Synthetic microbiology Biodiversity and ecosystem functions Bio-Geo-interactions Fungal biology Systems microbiology Biodegradation Open topics

18 18 EINLADUNG MITGLIEDERVERSAMMLUNG & SOCIAL PROGRAMME Einladung zur Mitgliederversammlung der VAAM ó Hiermit lade ich alle Mitglieder der VAAM zur Mitgliederversammlung ein. Sie wird am Dienstag, den 3. März 2015, um Uhr in Hörsaal 00/0030 in Marburg stattfinden. Vorläufige Tagesordnung: 1. Festlegung der Tagesordnung und Genehmigung der Niederschrift der Mitgliederversammlung vom in Dresden (siehe BIOspektrum 7/14, Seiten 785 und 786) 2. Bericht aus dem Vorstand, u.a. Haushalt 2014 und Haushaltsplan 2015, Ort und Zeit der nächsten Jahrestagung, Aktivitäten der Fachgruppen, DGHM 3. VBIO 4. Bericht der Kassenprüfer 5. Entlastung des Vorstandes 6. Wahl des Präsidiums (Präsident, 1. Vizepräsident, Schatzmeister, Schriftführer) und drei der sechs Mitglieder des Beirates (geheime Wahl während der Mitgliederversammlung) 7. Mikrobe des Jahres 8. Verschiedenes Hiermit bitte ich alle Mitglieder, Vorschläge zur Wahl des Präsidiums und des Beirates beim Präsidenten einzureichen (bis 14 Tage vor der Mitgliederversammlung), wobei Vorschläge für das Präsidium von zehn VAAM-Mitgliedern und für den Beirat von drei Mitgliedern unterschrieben sein müssen. Ich möchte auch darauf hinweisen, dass der Vorstand der VAAM den jetzigen 1. Vizepräsidenten entsprechend der Geschäftsordnung (siehe Homepage der VAAM) zur Wahl zum Präsidenten vorschlagen wird. Ordentliche und studentische Mitglieder haben auf der Mitgliederversammlung gleiches Stimmrecht. Reisekostenzuschüsse für studentische Mitglieder können bei fristgerecht eingegangenen Anträgen und bei Vorliegen der sonstigen Voraussetzungen nur persönlich ab Dienstag, den 3. März 2015, Uhr bis Mittwoch, den 4. März 2015, Uhr im Tagungsbüro abgeholt werden. ó Hubert Bahl Schriftführer Social Programme Sunday, 1 March 2015 Welcome Reception The organisers welcome all participants of the conference at the industrial exhibition area. Meet your colleagues and other participants by fresh drinks and snacks. Time 19:30 h Place Industrial Exhibition Tuesday, 3 March YEARS VAAM An exciting outside view on microorganisms and microbiologists presented by the comedian Vince Ebert on the occasion of the 30 th birthday of the VAAM. Time 17:00 h to 17:45 h Place Audimax in the main lecture hall MIXER We like to invite you to the MIXER for speakers, participants and exhibitors. The wonderful music group Lounge-Band will play for your entertainment. Food and drinks will be provided. Time 19:30 h Place Mensa Erlenring Erlenring 5, Marburg 2015 Sonderausgabe D13808F ISSN BIO spektrum Tagungsband zur Das Magazin für Biowissenschaften VAAM-Jahrestagung März in Marburg/Lahn Bring your copy of the - BIOspektrum Sonderausgabe 2015; at the meeting it will cost 20 Euro

19 Weitere Informationen unter:

20 20 SPONSORS Sponsors We would particularly like to thank our Sponsors for their enormous commitment. Main Sponsor Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH (Wiesbaden) Sponsors Symposium Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH (Wiesbaden) Takara Bio Europe (Saint-Germain-en-Laye/FR) Sponsor BIOLOG Life Science Institute - Forschungslabor und Biochemica-Vertrieb GmbH (Bremen) CAISTER ACADEMIC PRESS (Poole/UK) Pearson Deutschland GmbH/ Pearson Studium (Hallbergmoos) Sponsors PhD Awards BASF SE (Ludwigshafen) Sanofi Aventis Deutschland GmbH (Frankfurt am Main) New England Biolabs GmbH (Frankfurt am Main) Bayer Healthcare AG (Leverkusen) Sponsors Poster Awards BIOspektrum (Heidelberg)