Wikipedia

Adele Williamson

Adele Williamson is a New Zealand biochemist who studies DNA repair systems in bacteria that inhabit extreme environments.[1] Her research has applications in both biotechnology and medicine.[1] She has travelled widely, including to Norway and Antarctica, to conduct her research and uses a variety of biochemical and bioinformatic methods to study the collected enzymes.[2] She is currently a senior lecturer at the University of Waikato.[1]

Williamson in 2020

Education

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From 2000 to 2004, Williamson studied at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, where she earned her Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree.[3] She went on to undertake doctoral research at the Australian National University from 2004 to 2008,[4] when she graduated with her PhD.[4] She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship from January 2009 to March 2010 at Umeå Plant Science Centre in Sweden.[2][5]

Career

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After her postdoctoral work at Umeå, Williamson began working as a research scientist at UiT The Arctic University of Norway in 2010, and was promoted to project leader in 2015.[6][3] In 2019 she returned to New Zealand to work at the University of Waikato. She spent her first two years there working as a research fellow and principal investigator,[1] before being appointed a senior lecturer in the Biomedical, and Molecular and Cellular Biology Departments.[1]

While conducting research at various universities, Williamson has become a member of various societies. Most recently, she joined the Society of Crystallographers in Australia and New Zealand (SCANZ).[2] In 2022, Williamson joined the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists where she works as a mentor to aspiring scientists.[2][7] In 2021, she was admitted into the Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, which consists of established scientists in New Zealand whose research targets serious human diseases.[2][8][9] Williamson has been a member of the New Zealand Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology since 2020.[2]

Research

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Williamson's research focuses on bacteria known as extremophiles, organisms that survive in environmental extremes such as high pressures and temperatures.[10] These organisms are of interest because they produce enzymes called extremozymes, which are functional under extreme conditions and are applicable in many different fields,[11] including biotechnology and medicine. In biotechnology, extremozymes are essential for diagnostic tests such as PCR.[2] Also, knowledge of these enzymes can help gain insight on how they help pathogens resist treatment in various diseases.[2] The objectives of Williamson's research include:

  1. To explore the fundamental biochemistry of survival under extreme conditions and understand what diverse mechanisms microbes have evolved to achieve this.[1]
  2. To explore the biotechnological potential of enzymes from extremophiles with a focus on novel molecular biology tools.[1]

DNA repair proteins from Antarctic extremophiles

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In 2019, Williamson was awarded the Marsden Fast-Start grant to investigate the DNA repair systems of various microbes living in Antarctica.[5][12] The Dry Valleys of Antarctica were chosen because its environment subjects the DNA to multiple stressors including high ultraviolet light and multiple freeze-thaw cycles.[13] During this research, Williamson and her team sequenced metagenomes from 30 sites across the Dry Valleys.[13] The sequences from these samples were then analysed and compared to known databases.[13] The research showed that although a large number of the genes present in these enzymes were already known, there were a select few that were either unique to the environment or were not represented in the database.[13]

Replication and repair enzymes of Prochlorococcus marinus

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In 2020, Williamson was awarded the Rutherford Discovery Fellowship for her research titled "In extremis: how bacteria replicate, repair and diversify their genomes in challenging environments".[5] One of the bacterial systems Williamson and her team focused on during this research was the Prochlorococcus marinus.[14] This group of cyanobacteria are the most abundant photosynthetic organism in the world.[14] There are two ecotypes of P. marinus: those found in the upper ocean where the environment is UV-damaging and nutrient poor are considered high-light; and the low-light P. marinus, which have access to more nutrients and are subjected to less UV radiation.[12] To conduct this research, the genomes from P. marinus were downloaded and the DNA ligases were identified.[15] Prior to this research, it was believed that bacteria used NAD-dependent DNA ligases for replication, and archaea and eukaryotes utilise ATP-dependent DNA ligases.[15] However, after analysing the genomes of both high-light and low-light P. marinus, it was concluded that in the high-light bacteria an ATP-dependent DNA ligase is present instead of a NAD-dependent form.[15] Williamson and her team suggest that this variation from typical bacterial replication enzymes could be an adaptation brought on by the extreme environmental conditions.[12]

Research grants

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  • January 2023 - MBIE Smart Idea funding for a research project titled "A ligase-based solution for non-natural nucleic acid synthesis"[2]
  • July 2021 - Rutherford Discovery Fellowship for a research project titled "In extremis: how bacteria replicate, repair and diversify their genomes in challenging environments" by the Royal Society Te Apārangi.[2][5]
  • June 2021 - Explorer Grant for a research project titled "Extracellular DNA repair: a role in antimicrobial resistance?" from the Health Research Council of New Zealand.[2][16]
  • May 2019 - Marsden Fast-Start grant for a research project titled "DNA repair systems of the Antarctic microbial metagenome" from the Royal Society Te Apārangi.[2][5]

Selected publications

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Dr Adele Williamson – about". University of Waikato. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Loop | Adele Williamson". loop.frontiersin.org. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b "ORCID". orcid.org. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Adele Williamson". www.wikidata.org. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Adele Williamson". Royal Society Te Apārangi. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  6. ^ https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Adele-Williamson-2
  7. ^ "Mentor Database". www.apecs.is. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Home | Maurice Wilkins Centre". www.mauricewilkinscentre.org. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  9. ^ "Twenty-three more scientists join our network | Maurice Wilkins Centre". www.mauricewilkinscentre.org. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  10. ^ US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "What is an extremophile?". oceanservice.noaa.gov. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  11. ^ "Extremophile | Definition, Types, Examples, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "Dr Adele Williamson – research interests". University of Waikato. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d Rzoska-Smith, Elizabeth; Stelzer, Ronja; Monterio, Maria; Cary, Stephen C.; Williamson, Adele (2023). "DNA repair enzymes of the Antarctic Dry Valley metagenome". Frontiers in Microbiology. 14. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1156817. ISSN 1664-302X. PMC 10140301. PMID 37125210.
  14. ^ a b "Rutherford Fellowship: Adele Williamson :: University of Waikato". www.waikato.ac.nz. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  15. ^ a b c Hjerde, Erik; Maguren, Ashleigh; Rzoska-Smith, Elizabeth; Kirby, Bronwyn; Williamson, Adele (14 May 2020). "DNA ligases of Prochlorococcus marinus: an evolutionary exception to the rules of replication". bioRxiv 10.1101/2020.05.11.089284.
  16. ^ "Extracellular DNA repair: a role in antimicrobial resistance? | Health Research Council of New Zealand". hrc.govt.nz. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
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