UW-Madison Dept of Bacteriology
Jerald C. Ensign
Professor of Bacteriology, Emeritus
3550 Microbial Sciences Building
1550 Linden Drive
(608) 262-7877
jcensign@wisc.edu
Research Focus
Our laboratory studies two very different kinds of bacteria. One area of research involves the regulation of sporulation, spore properties, germination and motility of the flagellated spores of Actinoplanes. Another project involves a bacterium, Photorhabdus luminescens, that is bioluminescent, produces antibiotics, produces a potent insecticidal protein and lives in a symbiotic association with the nematode Heterorhabditis. We are interested in how the nematode recognizes specific strains of the bacterium and how the bacterium fulfills the nutritional needs of the nematode.