Professor Gregory Cook

Research Interest: Cellular and Molecular Bacterial Physiology
Year of Appointment: 1997
Training: MSc(Hons) PhD(Waikato)

My current research is aimed at gaining mechanistic insight into how bacteria sense and respond to their environment at the level of the cytoplasmic membrane. The membrane proteins and signaling pathways involved and how they control the physiological response of a particular bacterium to environmental signals is a major focus.

Current Research Projects

• Adaptation to high pH and temperature by thermoalkaliphilic bacteria
• Mycobacterial energetics: a fertile area for drug discovery
• Bacterial sensing of bacitracin-induced stress in Enterococci - characterization of a novel regulatory protein BcrR

These projects utilize contemporary technologies (eg. proteomics, molecular genetics and structural biology) to address important questions in bacterial adaptation to environment.

Our laboratory is also experienced in traditional microbiological methods that are important in the analysis of gene function (eg. continuous culture, analysis of metabolic pathways, protein purification and reconstitution, bioenergetic determinations and transport studies).