Aswathy Kallazhi will be defending her thesis on March 28, 2025. Ahead of her defense, we had the opportunity to have a brief interview, where she shared insights into her research, the findings presented in her thesis, and her plans for the future. What do you examine in your thesis? I am a molecular biologist who studied a protein named Lon in bacteria which is capable of selectively breaking down other proteins in the cell. This is an important process as the cell needs to control the levels of different proteins in response to its needs. I discovered new proteins that are broken down by Lon and how it affects bacterial movement in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. I studied another Lon-like protein named AsrA in the same bacterium and found it to be a different protease performing important roles like regulating bacterial communication and response to heat stress. Finally, I contributed to a study that discovered a protein named LarA which alters the activity of Lon using its terminal amino acids in Caulobacter crescentus. The work in my thesis reveals the importance of protein degradation by Lon in bacteria. What do you hope your research can lead to? I hope that these discoveries will advance our understanding of proteases that are promising targets for antimicrobial research. It also reveals how bacteria uses proteases to cope with stress and adapts to its environment by controlling protein levels in different pathways. This collection of studies is also an important resource on the similarities and differences between closely-related versions of the same protein and how they evolve to perform different functions according to the bacterial needs. What will you do after your defense? In the evening of my defence, I will celebrate, and the week after, I will rest. In future, I hope to take up post-doctoral research, ideally focused on environmental work. Study of microbes and their adaptations has immense potential in improving our understanding of the natural world and I hope to meaningfully contribute to this goal.
