Joshua K. Michener

The paper shows that integrative and conjugative elements in Novosphingobium aromaticivorans facilitate frequent chromosomal recombination between strains but not between species.

This study uses genome shuffling in Bacillus subtilis to map quantitative trait loci for complex phenotypes, identifying high-confidence QTLs of moderate size.

This study characterizes three nylon hydrolases, identifying structural features and activity differences that inform their substrate specificity and potential for engineering.

The paper develops ICE-seq, a sequencing-based method to track ICE transfer in complex communities, showing RM systems can alter transfer rates by up to 10,000-fold.

This paper demonstrates a method to produce higher-molecular-weight nylons using chemically-synthesized diads and biosynthetic amide synthetases, expanding the range of usable precursors.

This study optimizes reaction conditions for three nylon-degrading enzymes, achieving high product titers for PA6 and PA66 without enzyme engineering or substrate pretreatment, and demonstrates scalability for complex PA-based materials.

This study demonstrates that NIS synthetases can synthesize sequenced oligoamides from unprotected substrates, enabling the creation of novel sequence-defined polyamides with improved properties.

The paper identifies and characterizes diverse nylon hydrolases, showing that 40% of tested enzymes have significant activity, with some showing substrate selectivity for Nylon 6,6 over Nylon 6.

This study uses experimental evolution to identify mutations that enhance catabolism of a lignin-derived aromatic dimer in Novosphingobium aromaticivorans, revealing a key enzyme involved in its degradation.

The paper transfers a catabolic pathway for salicyl alcohol in Pseudomonas soil isolates, showing it enables rapid catabolism but does not confer a fitness advantage in rhizosphere competition.

This paper develops a biosensor-mediated selection strategy using competitive co-cultures in microfluidic droplets to enrich for small molecule producers.

The paper engineers Escherichia coli to catabolize lignin monomers via a heterologous pathway, achieving improved growth and extending the pathway to a second compound.