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]
Education
From 2000 to 2004, Williamson studied at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, where she earned her Bachelor of Science (Honors) 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
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
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:
To explore the fundamental biochemistry of survival under extreme conditions and understand what diverse mechanisms microbes have evolved to achieve this.[1]
To explore the biotechnological potential of enzymes from extremophiles with a focus on novel molecular biology tools.[1]
DNA repair proteins from Antarctic extremophiles
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
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 analyzing 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
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]
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
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". bioRxiv10.1101/2020.05.11.089284.
Williamson, Adele K. (2008). "Structural and functional aspects of the MSP (PsbO) and study of its differences in thermophilic versus mesophilic organisms". Photosynthesis Research. 98 (1–3): 365–389. Bibcode:2008PhoRe..98..365W. doi:10.1007/s11120-008-9353-7. PMID18780158.
^US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "What is an extremophile?". oceanservice.noaa.gov. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
^ abcHjerde, 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". bioRxiv10.1101/2020.05.11.089284.
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