Adele Williamson is a biochemist who studies DNA repair systems in bacteria that inhabit extreme environments.[1] This research has applications in both biotechnology and medicine.[1] Williamson has traveled all over the world, including Norway and Antarctica, to conduct this research and uses a variety of biochemical and bioinformatic methods to study the collected enzymes. [2] She currently resides in Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand, where she works as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Waikato.[1]
Education
From 2000-2004 Williamson attended the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she received her Bachelors of Science (Honors) degree.[3] After undergrad, she decided to pursue a doctorate degree from Australia National University.[4] Williamson attended Australia National University for four years, from 2004 to 2008, when she officially graduated with her PhD.[4] Following this, she completed a two year postdoctoral fellowship from January 2009 to March 2010 at Umeå Plant Science Centre in Sweden. [2][5]
Career
After her PostDoc position at the Umeå Plant Science Centre, Williamson relocated to Norway where she worked as a research scientist at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.[6] This position lasted for five years from 2010 to 2015, then she was promoted to a project leader for the next four years.[3] Williamson now lives in New Zealand and is employed by the University of Waikato. She spent her first two years there working as a research fellow, where she served as the principle investigator.[1] She still works at the University of Waikato, but as a senior lecturer for 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 to the Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery which consists of established scientists in New Zealand who's research targets serious human diseases.[2][8][9] Finally, Williamson has been a member of The New Zealand Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology for the last four years.[2]
Research
The focus of Williamson's research revolves around bacteria known as extremophiles. Extremophiles are 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 enzymes that are functional under extreme conditions and are applicable in many different fields.[11] Some of the applications mentioned by Williamson are in the biotechnical and medical field. In biotechnology, these enzymes are essential for diagnostic tests such as PCR.[2] Also, knowledge of these enzymes will also help gain insight on how they help pathogens resist treatment in various diseases.[2] The objectives of her research are as stated below:
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 different sites across the Dry Valleys.[13] The sequences from these samples were then analyzed and compared to known databases.[13] The conclusion of this 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 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 concluded that bacteria used NAD-dependent DNA ligases for replication, and archaea and eukaryotes utilize ATP-dependent DNA ligases.[15] However, after analyzing the genomes of both high-light and low-light P. marinus, the results suggest 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]
Awards and Grants
January 2023 - Awarded the MBIE 'Smart Idea' funding for the research project titled, 'A ligase-based solution for non-natural nucleic acid synthesis' this was awarded by the Ministry Of Business, Innovation & Employment government office in New Zealand[2]
July 2021 - Awarded the Rutherford Discovery Fellowship for the research project titled, 'In extremis: how bacteria replicate, repair and diversify their genomes in challenging environments' this was awarded by Royal Society of New Zealand.[2][5]
June 2021 - Awarded the Explorer Grant for the research project titled, 'Extracellular DNA repair: a role in antimicrobial resistance?' this was awarded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand.[2][16]
May 2019 - Awarded the Marsden Fast-Start Grant for the research project titled, 'DNA repair systems of the Antarctic microbial metagenome' this was awarded by the Royal Society of New Zealand.[2][5]
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/full. ISSN 1664-302X
Williamson, Adele; Conlan, Brendon; Hillier, Warwick; Wydrzynski, Tom (2011-01-01). "The evolution of Photosystem II: insights into the past and future". Photosynthesis Research. 107 (1): 71–86. doi:10.1007/s11120-010-9559-3. ISSN 1573-5079.
Santi, Concetta De; Willassen, Nils Peder; Williamson, Adele (2016-07-19). "Biochemical Characterization of a Family 15 Carbohydrate Esterase from a Bacterial Marine Arctic Metagenome". PLOS ONE. 11 (7): e0159345. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0159345. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4951047. PMID 27433797.
Jensen, Marianne S.; Fredriksen, Lasse; MacKenzie, Alasdair K.; Pope, Phillip B.; Leiros, Ingar; Chylenski, Piotr; Williamson, Adele K.; Christopeit, Tony; Østby, Heidi; Vaaje-Kolstad, Gustav; Eijsink, Vincent G. H. (2018-05-24). "Discovery and characterization of a thermostable two-domain GH6 endoglucanase from a compost metagenome". PLOS ONE. 13 (5): e0197862. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0197862. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5968413. PMID 29795644.
Williamson, Adele K. (2008-10-01). "Structural and functional aspects of the MSP (PsbO) and study of its differences in thermophilic versus mesophilic organisms". Photosynthesis Research. 98 (1): 365–389. doi:10.1007/s11120-008-9353-7. ISSN 1573-5079.
Williamson, Adele; De Santi, Concetta; Altermark, Bjørn; Karlsen, Christian; Hjerde, Erik (2016-09-07). "Complete genome sequence of Halomonas sp. R5-57". Standards in Genomic Sciences. 11 (1): 62. doi:10.1186/s40793-016-0192-4. ISSN 1944-3277. PMC 5015195. PMID 27610212.
De Santi, Concetta; Gani, Osman ABSM; Helland, Ronny; Williamson, Adele (2017-12-08). "Structural insight into a CE15 esterase from the marine bacterial metagenome". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 17278. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-17677-4. ISSN 2045-2322.
Bjerga, Gro Elin Kjæreng; Lale, Rahmi; Williamson, Adele Kim (2016-01-02). "Engineering low-temperature expression systems for heterologous production of cold-adapted enzymes". Bioengineered. 7 (1): 33–38. doi:10.1080/21655979.2015.1128589. ISSN 2165-5979. PMC 4878266. PMID 26710170.
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