DNA repair in the archaea: an emerging picture (2018)
Journal Article
White, M. F., & Allers, T. (2018). DNA repair in the archaea: an emerging picture. FEMS Microbiology Reviews, 42(4), doi:10.1093/femsre/fuy020. ISSN 0168-6445

There has long been a fascination in the DNA Repair pathways of archaea, for two main reasons. Firstly, many archaea inhabit extreme environments where the rate of physical damage to DNA is accelerated. These archaea might reasonably be expected to h... Read More

Evolution of genome architecture in archaea: spontaneous generation of a new chromosome in Haloferax volcanii (2018)
Journal Article
Ausiannikava, D., Mitchell, L., Marriott, H., Smith, V., Hawkins, M., Makarova, K. S., …Allers, T. (2018). Evolution of genome architecture in archaea: spontaneous generation of a new chromosome in Haloferax volcanii. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 38(8), doi:10.1093/molbev/msy075. ISSN 0737-4038

The common ancestry of archaea and eukaryotes is evident in their genome architecture. All eukaryotic and several archaeal genomes consist of multiple chromosomes, each replicated from multiple origins. Three scenarios have been proposed for the evol... Read More

RadB acts in homologous recombination in the archaeon Haloferax volcanii, consistent with a role as recombination mediator (2017)
Journal Article
Wardell, K., Haldenby, S., Jones, N., Liddell, S., Ngo, G. H., & Allers, T. (2017). RadB acts in homologous recombination in the archaeon Haloferax volcanii, consistent with a role as recombination mediator. DNA Repair, 55, doi:10.1016/j.dnarep.2017.04.005. ISSN 1568-7864

Homologous recombination plays a central role in the repair of double-strand DNA breaks, the restart of stalled replication forks and the generation of genetic diversity. Regulation of recombination is essential since defects can lead to genome insta... Read More

Diversity of DNA replication in the archaea (2017)
Journal Article
Ausiannikava, D., & Allers, T. (2017). Diversity of DNA replication in the archaea. Genes, 8(2), doi:10.3390/genes8020056. ISSN 2073-4425

DNA replication is arguably the most fundamental biological process. On account of their shared evolutionary ancestry, the replication machinery found in archaea is similar to that found in eukaryotes. DNA replication is initiated at origins and is h... Read More

Production of halophilic proteins using Haloferax volcanii H1895 in a stirred-tank bioreactor (2015)
Journal Article
Strillinger, E., Grötzinger, S. W., Allers, T., Eppinger, J., & Weuster-Botz, D. (2016). Production of halophilic proteins using Haloferax volcanii H1895 in a stirred-tank bioreactor. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 100(3), 1183-1195. doi:10.1007/s00253-015-7007-1

The success of biotechnological processes is based on the availability of efficient and highly specific biocatalysts, which can satisfy industrial demands. Extreme and remote environments like the deep brine pools of the Red Sea represent highly inte... Read More

DNA damage induces nucleoid compaction via the Mre11-Rad50 complex in the archaeon Haloferax volcanii (2013)
Journal Article
Mre11-Rad50 complex in the archaeon Haloferax volcanii. Molecular Microbiology, 87(1), doi:10.1111/mmi.12091. ISSN 0950-382X

In prokaryotes the genome is organized in a dynamic structure called the nucleoid, which is embedded in the cytoplasm. We show here that in the archaeon Haloferax volcanii, compaction and reorganization of the nucleoid is induced by stresses that... Read More

Genetic and biochemical identification of a novel single-stranded DNA-binding complex in Haloferax volcanii (2012)
Journal Article
Stroud, A., Liddell, S., & Allers, T. (2012). Genetic and biochemical identification of a novel single-stranded DNA-binding complex in Haloferax volcanii. Frontiers in Microbiology, 3(224), doi:10.3389/fmicb.2012.00224. ISSN 1664-302X

Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding proteins play an essential role in DNA replication and repair. They use oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB)-folds, a five-stranded β-sheet coiled into a closed barrel, to bind to ssDNA thereby protecting a... Read More

Archaeal genetics – the third way (2005)
Journal Article
Allers, T., & Mevarech, M. (2005). Archaeal genetics – the third way. Nature Genetics, 6, doi:10.1038/nrg1504. ISSN 1061-4036

For decades, archaea were misclassified as bacteria on account of their prokaryotic morphology. Molecular phylogeny eventually revealed that archaea, like bacteria and eukaryotes, are a fundamentally distinct domain of life. Genome analyses have conf... Read More