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Angert, Esther R.
Cornell Faculty Member
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Positions
- Associate Professor, Microbiology (BIOMI), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)
Esther Angert earned a B.S. in Biology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Her graduate training was in the laboratory of Dr. Norman Pace at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, where she earned her Ph.D. She was Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Richard Losick at Harvard University before joining the Cornell University faculty in the Department of Microbiology.
Research Areas
- animal science
- aquatic science
- biocomplexity
- biodiversity
- biological control
- biotechnology
- cell biology
- communication
- conservation biology
- dairy science
- disease control
- ecology
- ecosystem biology
- evolution
- genetics
- genomics
- materials science
- microbiology
- milk
- molecular biology
- molecular genetics
- nanobiotechnology
- natural resources
- new life sciences
- pathogens
- soil and crop science
- soil health
- teacher education
- youth
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- Publications
- Teaching
- Service
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Affiliations
other Cornell affiliations
Research
research overview
- Epulopiscium spp. are some of the largest known bacteria. Individuals can reach lengths in excess of 0.6 mm; large enough to be seen with the unaided eye. Another unusual feature of this group of bacteria is the manner in which they reproduce. While most bacteria simply divide into two equivalent daughter cells, an Epulopiscium cell can produce multiple offspring internally. Research in the Angert Lab focuses on characterizing cellular modifications that support large cell size in a bacterium. We are also working toward identifying the molecular mechanisms involved in internal offspring formation and development. We are interested in determining how reproductive strategy impacts the symbiotic relationship of intestinal bacteria and their vertebrate host. Epulopiscium spp. are intestinal symbionts of certain species of tropical marine fish of the surgeonfish family. A deeper understanding of the role of these intestinal symbionts will provide a deeper appreciation for the nutritional ecology of key herbivores on the endangered and fragile coral reefs found in low-nutrient topical seas.
principal investigator on
- THE CYTOARCHITECTURE OF LARGE BACTERIA awarded by NATL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 2007 - 2013
co-principal investigator on
area(s) of concentration/expertise
other area(s) of concentration/expertise
- Microbal Cell and Developmental Biology
keywords
- antimicrobials
- cell biology
- genomics
- herbivory
- microbial diversity
- microbial ecology
- microbiology
- nanobiotechnology
- reproductive biology
- symbiosis
submitted impact statement
Publications
individual publications
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academic article
- Composition, diversity, and origin of the bacterial community in grass carp intestine.. PLoS One. 7. 2012
- DNA Replication and Genomic Architecture of Very Large Bacteria.. Annual Reviews of Microbiology. 66:197-212. 2012
- The genomic basis for the evolution of a novel form of cellular reproduction in the bacterium Epulopiscium. BMC Genomics. 13:265. 2012
- Complete genome sequence of the cellulose-degrading bacterium Cellulosilyticum lentocellum. Journal of Bacteriology. 193:2357-2358. 2011
- The spoIIE homolog of Epulopiscium sp. type B is expressed early in intracellular offspring development. Journal of Bacteriology. 193:2642-2646. 2011
- Antimicrobial behavior of semifluorinated-quaternized triblock copolymers against airborne and marine microorganisms. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2:703-711. 2010
- Comparative studies of microbial populations in the rumen, duodenum, ileum and faeces of lactating dairy cows.. Journal of Applied Microbiology. 108:1982-1993. 2010
- Cytology of terminally differentiated Epulopiscium mother cells. DNA and Cell Biology. 28:57-64. 2009
- Genetic Analysis of Factors Affecting Susceptibility of Bacillus subtilis to Daptomycin. Annual Reviews of Microbiology. 53:1598-1609. 2009
- DNA replication during endospore development in Metabacterium polyspora. Molecular Microbiology. 67:1360-1370. 2008
- Extreme polyploidy in a large bacterium. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 105:6730-6734. 2008
- Microbiology: A Genetic Monster. Nature. 453:136-137. 2008
- Nanoporous S-Layer protein lattices: A biological ion gate with calcium selectivity. Journal of Physical Chemistry. 111:13232-13237. 2007
- Thin film processing using S-layer proteins: Biotemplated assembly of colloidal gold etch masks for fabrication of silicon nanopillar arrays. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces.. 57:161-173. 2007
- Assessment of biases associated with profiling simple, model communities using terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism-based analyses. Journal of Microbiological Methods. 67:9-19. 2006
- Beyond binary fission: some bacteria reproduce by alternative means. Microbe. 1:127-131. 2006
- Bionanofabrication of metallic and semiconductor nanoparticle arrays using S-layer protein lattices with different lateral spacings and geometries. Langmuir. 22:3763-3774. 2006
- Fecal bacterial diversity in a wild gorilla. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 72:3788-3792. 2006
- Self-Assembly of dendrimer-encapsulated nanoparticle arrays using 2-D microbial S-layer protein biotemplates. Biomacromolecules. 7:1884-1897. 2006
- Surfaces of fluorinated pyridinium block copolymers with enhanced antibacterial activity. Langmuir. 22:11255-11266. 2006
- Alternatives to binary fission in bacteria. Nat Rev Microbiol. 3:214-224. 2005
- Bacteriocins of Gram-positive bacteria and their application in biotechnology. Recent Res Devel Applied Microbiol Biotechnol. 2:87-101. 2005
- Development of a strain-specific assay for detection of viable Lactobacillus sp. HOFG1 after application to cattle feed. Journal of Microbiological Methods. 61:235-243. 2005
- Nocturnal production of endospores in natural populations of Epulopiscium-like surgeonfish symbionts. Journal of Bacteriology. 187:7460-7470. 2005
- Unwounded plants elicit Agrobacterium vir gene induction and T-DNA transfer: transformed plant cells produce opines yet are tumor-free. Molecular Microbiology. 57:1522-1531. 2005
- Antibacterial coatings based on quaternized poly(4-vinylpyridine) block copolymers.. Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society. 228. 2004
- Bionanofabrications of ordered nanoparticle arrays: effect of particle properties and adsorption conditions. Journal of Physical Chemistry. 108:8241-8248. 2004
- Comparison of the antimicrobial activity of honey produced by Tetragonisca angustula (Meliponinae) and Apis mellifera L. from different phytogeographical regions of Costa Rica. Apidology. 35:411-417. 2004
- Initiation of intracellular offspring in Epulopiscium. Molecular Microbiology. 51:827-835. 2004
- Septal localization of penicillin-binding protein 1 in Bacillus subtilis. Journal of Bacteriology. 181:3201-3211. 1999
- Molecular phylogenetic analysis of a bacterial community in Sulphur River, Parker Cave, Kentucky. American Mineralogist. 83:1583-1592. 1998
- Nucleoids and coated vesicles of "Epulopiscium" spp. Archives of Microbiology. 170:227-235. 1998
- Propagation by sporulation in the guinea pig symbiont Metabacterium polyspora. Proceedings at the National Academy of Science USA. 95:10218-10223. 1998
- Assembly of the cell division protein FtsZ into ladder-like structures in the aerial hyphae of Streptomyces coelicolor. Molecular Microbiology. 25:847-858. 1997
- Phylogenetic analysis of Metabacterium polyspora: Clues to the evolutionary origin of Epulopiscium spp., the largest bacteria. Journal of Bacteriology. 178:1451-1456. 1996
- The largest bacterium. Nature. 362:239-241. 1993
- Order of genes on human chromosome 5q with respect to 5q interstitial deletions. American Journal of Human Genetics. 46:26-36. 1990
- Previously unreported Nco I RFLP for human CSF1R. Nucleic Acids Research. 17:2153. 1989
- Sst I polymorphism revealed by anonymous probe cpl 2.6 [D5S89] which maps to 5q21-5q31. Nucleic Acids Research. 17:2154. 1989
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booksection
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chapter
- Giant Bacteria. Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. 2007
- The enigmatic cytoarchitecture of Epulopiscium spp. Complex Intracellular Structures in Prokaryotes (Microbiology Monographs). 285-301. 2006
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conference paper
- Characterization of a Putative spoIIE homolog in Epulopiscium Type B. NEMPET. 2008
- The role of a SpoIIE homolog in offspring formation in the surgeonfish symbiont Epulopiscium sp. type B. ASM Conference on Beneficial Microbes. 2008
- Investigating Temporal Expression of spoIIE in Epulopiscium sp. Type B. Boston Bacterial Meeting. 2007
- DNA Replication during Sporulation in Metabacterium polyspora. Boston Bacterial Meeting. 2006
- Initial Studies of Gene Expression in Epulopiscium type B. NEMPET. 2006
- A phylogenetic comparison of Epulopiscium spp. found in two different surgeonfish from Hawaii. The Biology of Beneficial Microbial Symbionts of Animals. 2005
- A phylogenetic comparison of Epulopiscium spp. found in two different surgeonfish from Hawaii. NEMPET. 2005
- Real-time PCR analysis of genome copy number in individual Epulopiscium cells. Prokaryotic Development. 2005
- Real-time PCR analysis of genome copy number in individual Epulopiscium cells. NEMPET. 2005
- Tools for the evaluation of DNA replication in Clostridium lentocellum. ASM General Meeting. 2005
- Tools for the evaluation of DNA replication in Clostridium lentocellum. NEMPET. 2005
- Antibacterial coatings based on quartinized poly(4-vinylpyridine) block copolymers. American Chemical Society Meeting. 2004
- Bionanofabrication of ordered nanoparticle arrays using prokaryotic S-layer proteins. Nanobiotechnology Center (NBTC) Annual Symposium. 2004
- Rapid immunomagnetic separation of Epulopiscium cells from surgeonfish intestinal contents. American Society for Microbiology (ASM) General Meeting. 2004
- Real-time PCR quantification of the ftsZ gene in single cells of Epulopiscium. American Society for Microbiology General Meeting. 2004
- Real-time PCR quantification of the ftsZ gene in single cells of Epulopiscium. Northeast Microbiologists: Physiology, Ecology, Taxonomy (NEMPET) Annual Meeting. 2004
- Real-time PCR quantification of the ftsZ gene in single cells of Epulopiscium. NEMPET. 2004
- Ruminal bacteria as a model for the assessment of biases in terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism. ASM General Meeting. 2004
- Ruminal bacteria as a model for the assessment of biases in terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism. NEMPET. 2004
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document part
- Biologically-inspired nanostructures: optimization of catalyst particle binding to bacterial S-layers for bio-templated growth of highly ordered semiconductor nanowire/nanotube arrays 2003
- Endospore formation in Epulopiscium 2003
- Methods for generating metal particle arrays on a nanometer scale using S-layer templating 2003
- Biologically Inspired Nanostructures: Optimization of catalyst particle binding to bacterial S-layers for bio-templated growth of highly ordered semiconductor nanowire/nanotube arrays 2002
- Characterization of microbial community structure in Northern peatlands in Tompkins County, NY 2002
- Real-time PCR quantification of the ftsZ gene in single cells of Epulopiscium 2002
- The genome sizes of Clostridium lentocellum and Clostridium propionicum: Possible insights into the Epulopiscium genome 2001
featured in archived article
Teaching
teaching overview
- Prof. Angert has developed an undergraduate course in microbial ecology and helped revise the advanced microbiology laboratory course to incorporate inquiry-based activities. She developed a communications course for graduate students and launched a departmental journal club. Dr. Angert views open communication between scientists and the public as essential to the future of scientific advance. Providing a positive science educational experience for Cornell students helps foster such connections. Together with Prof. Dan Buckley, a new non-majors biology course has been developed to help students gain an appreciation for how microbes shape the world. Dr. Angert participates in a number of courses on campus, by providing guest lectures, for example, she gives three lectures in BioG1101 every fall on Cell Structure, Cell Evolution and Cell Division.
teaching activities
- BIOMI-7910: Advanced Topics in Microbiology - Spring 2013
- BIOMI-1120: Microbes, the Earth, and Everything - Fall 2012
- BIOMI-3910: Advanced Microbiology Laboratory - Fall 2012
- BIOMI-7910: Advanced Topics in Microbiology - Fall 2012
- CSS-1120: Microbes, the Earth, and Everything - Fall 2012
- BIOMI-7910: Advanced Topics in Microbiology - Spring 2012
- BIOMI-1120: Microbes, the Earth, & Everything - Fall 2011
- BIOMI-3910: Advanced Microbiology Laboratory - Fall 2011
- BIOMI-7910: Advanced Topics in Microbiology - Fall 2011
- CSS-1120: Microbes, the Earth, & Everything - Fall 2011
Service
outreach overview
- Members of the Angert Lab participate in a number of outreach programs to share our enthusiasm and ideas about biology to K-12 students and their teachers. In addition, we find that our study organisms, Epulopiscium spp., are exciting models for conveying basic concepts of microbial biology and diversity. These cells are visually appealing and can be seen with the unaided eye. The fact that Epulopiscium spp. are so large, but not pathogenic, makes them a good representative of the microbial world not only for biology students but for the general public as well. To facilitate information flow, a website featuring Epulopiscium has been established. Students at all levels are involved in the development and maintenance of the site. This project instills in students the responsibility of all researchers to disseminate information to the public and it will enhance the students' ability to communicate their work and its significance to a diverse audience. We're also studying the ecology of these intestinal microbes. They are found only in the intestinal tract of surgeonfish. While the importance of herbivores, such as surgeonfish, in carbon cycling within shallow, tropical reef systems is well recognized, the role of intestinal biota in these processes is not well appreciated. Epulopiscium spp. provide an unequaled system for studying the coevolution and population biology of a prominent segment of the symbiotic intestinal biota of key coral reef herbivores.
service to the profession
- Northeastern Microbiologists: Physiology, Ecology, Taxonomy Program Organizer 2003 -
- International Society for Microbial Ecology
- American Society for Microbiology Councelor 2012 - 2013
- American Society for Microbiology Chairperson 2011 - 2012
- American Society for Microbiology Chair-elect, Division I 2010 - 2011
reviewer or editor for
Background
education and training
- Ph.D. in Biology, Indiana University 1995
awards and honors
Other
college
- CALS
research keyword
- antimicrobials
- cell biology
- genomics
- herbivory
- microbial diversity
- microbial ecology
- microbiology
- nanobiotechnology
- reproductive biology
- symbiosis
name prefix
- Professor