Biology

Patricia Sobecky, Associate Professor

Ph.D. Microbiology, University of Georgia, 1993

Phone: (404) 894-5819
Fax: (404) 894-0519
Office: (ES&T) 1242/1121

Research Interests

Environmental Microbiology, Bioremediation, Horizontal Gene Transfer, Microbial Pathogens, Plasmid Ecology

Overview

A long-term focus of Dr. Sobecky's research is the role of the horizontally transferred gene pool in marine and soil microbial communities and its contribution to bacterial adaptation and proliferation. Our studies address the ecology and molecular biology of microbial plasmids by the development of molecular approaches and tools to study mobile genetic elements for the purpose of characterizing the relationships of mobile elements and their contributions to HGT in coastal marine sediments and more recently in radionuclide- and metal-contaminated soils. Our research is conducted in numerous environmental systems including coastal and deep sea ecosystems as well as terrestrial systems, many of which can be considered extreme environments.

Selected Publications (Last 5 years)

    Sobecky, P.A. and Coombs, J.A. (2009). Horizontal gene transfer in metal contaminated and radionuclide contaminated soils. In: Horizontal Gene Transfer-Genomes In Flux (Editors; Peter Gogarten, Lorraine Olendzenski and Maria Gogarten), Humana Press. Invited, peer-reviewed book chapter (in press).

    Sobecky, P.A and Hazen, T.H. (2009). Horizontal gene transfer and mobile genetic elements in marine systems. In: Horizontal Gene Transfer-Genomes In Flux (Editors; Peter Gogarten, Lorraine Olendzenski and Maria Gogarten), Humana Press. Invited, peer-reviewed book chapter (in press).

    Giannantonio, D.J., Kurth, J.C., Kurtis, K.E. and P.A. Sobecky. 2008. Molecular characterizations of microbial communities fouling painted and unpainted concrete structures. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation; doi:10.1016/j.ibiod.2008.06.0004 (in press).

    Hazen, T.H., Wu, D. Eisen, J.A., and P.A. Sobecky. 2007. Sequence characterization and comparative analysis of three plasmids isolated from environmental Vibrio spp. Applied and Environmental Microbiology published ahead of print on 5 October 2007, doi:10.1128/AEM.01577-07; print version 73(23):7703-7710.

    Criminger, J.D., Hazen, T.H., Sobecky, P.A. and C.R. Lovell. 2007. Nitrogen fixation by Vibrio parahaemolyticus and its implications for a new ecological niche. Applied and Environmental Microbiology published ahead of print on 3 August 2007, doi:10.1128/AEM.00981-07; print version: 73(18):5959-5961.

    Martinez, R.J., Beazley, M.J., Taillefert, M. Arakaki, A.K., Skolnick, J., and P.A. Sobecky. 2007. Aerobic uranium(VI) bioprecipitation by metal resistant bacteria isolated from radionuclide- and metal-contaminated subsurface soils. Online publication: (Aug. 20, 2007) doi: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2007.01422.x. Environmental Microbiology published 9(12):3122-3133.

    Beazley, M.J., R.J. Martinez, P.A. Sobecky, S.M. Webb and M. Taillefert. 2007. Uranium biomineralization as a result of bacterial phosphatase activity: insights from bacterial isolates from a contaminated subsurface. Environmental Science and Technology 41:5701-5707.

    Kurth, J.C., Giannantonio, D.J., Allain, J., Sobecky, P.A., and Kurtis. K.E. 2007. Mitigating Biofilm Growth through the Modification of Concrete Design and Practice. In: P. Baglioni and L. Cassar (Eds.), Proceedings of the International RILEM Symposium on Photocatalysis, Environment and Construction Material, Volume PRO50, pp. 195-202.

    Sobecky, P.A. 2007. Exploring the Deep Biosphere: Probing Microbial Systems at Earth's Extremes. Eos Trans. AGU, 88(34), 336.

    D'Hondt, S., Inagaki, F., Feldman, T., Jorgensen, B.B., Kato, K., Kemp, P., Sobecky, P.A., Sogin, M., and Takai, K. 2007. Exploring subseafloor life with the integrated ocean drilling program. Scientific Drilling Journal. September, No. 5, p. 26-37, doi:10.2204/iodp.sd.5.03.2007.

    Burkepile, D.E., Parker, J.D., Woodson, C.B., Mills, H.J., Kubanek, J., Sobecky, P.A., and M.E. Hay.  2006. Chemically-mediated competition between microbes and animals: microbes as consumers in food webs.  Ecology 87(11):2821-2831.

    Martinez, R.J., Wang, Y., Raimondo, M.A., Coombs, J.M., Barkay, T., and P.A. Sobecky. 2006. Horizontal gene transfer of PIB-type ATPases among bacteria isolated from radionuclide- and metal-contaminated subsurface soils. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 72:3111-3118.

    Martinez, R.J., Mills, H.J., S. Story, P.A. Sobecky. 2006. Prokaryotic diversity and metabolically active microbial populations in sediments from an active mud volcano in the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental Microbiology (in press)

    Mills, H.J., R.J. Martinez, S. Story and P.A. Sobecky. 2005.   Characterization of microbial community structure in Gulf of Mexico gas hydrates:   a comparative analysis of DNA- and RNA-derived clone libraries. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 71:3235-3247.

    Mills, H.J., R.J. Martinez, S. Story, and P.A. Sobecky.   2004.   Identification of members of the metabolically active microbial populations associated with Beggiatoa species mat communities from Gulf of Mexico cold-seep sediments.   Applied and Environmental Microbiology 70:5447-5458.

Pfiffner, S.M., P.A. Sobecky, T.J. Phelps, and A.V. Palumbo.   2002.   Microbiology of Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifers and other unconsolidated subsurface sediments.   In Gabriel Bitton (ed.) Encyclopedia of Environmental Microbiology, Vol (4), pp. 2028-2042.

Bottom photo courtesy of Ian MacDonald, Texas A&M University