Research
Mineralization of complex organic matter to CO2 and CH4 is carried out by the synergetic metabolism among at least 3 trophic types of microorganisms, including fermentative microorganisms, syntrophic bacteria and methanogens. The degradation of fiber straw to fatty acids (ruminant nutrients) and methane is a typical anaerobic mineralization process, which is carried out by tremendous diverse anaerobes inhabited. Methanogens are an exclusive group of anaerobic prokaryotes to form CH4 as the main metabolic product, so that they are the crucial organisms functioned during the global CH4 emission.
Streptococci are a group of facultative anaerobic bacteria with lactate as the exclusive end product. Streptococcus mutans, due to forming luxuriant lactate and strongly adhesive property onto teeth, is believed as the major cariogenic pathogen. However some other oral streptococci can suppress the growth of S. mutans by producing some inhibitory materials.
The laboratory has been focused on the resources, biology of anaerobic bacteria including lactic acid bacteria, fibrolytic rumen bacteria and methanogenic archaea, and the interspecies interaction among them. The current researches are as follows: (i) biology of rumen fibrolytic bacteria, and fibrolytic enzymatic characterization, yak rumen metagenome and screening and expression of fibrolytic enzyme genes；(ii) cold-adapted methanogens and their possible function in CH4 emission of Tibet plateau wetland under permanent low temperature; and (iii) interspecies interaction between oral streptococci and S. mutans.