- Biological use of molybdenum and tungsten stems back to 3.4 billion years agoAya S Klos, Morgan S Sobol, Joanne S Boden, Eva E Stüeken, Rika E Anderson, Kurt O Konhauser, Betül Kaçar Nature communications
- Evolution of Translation Initiation Factor 2 Extensions Links Initiation to Bacterial Stress ResponseEvrim Fer, Rajdeep Banerjee, Katsumi Hagino, Kaitlyn M McGrath, Betül Kaçar bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology
- Ecological constraints and evolutionary trade-offs shape nitrogen fixation across habitatsMorgan S Sobol, Aya S Klos, Cécile Ané, Katherine D McMahon, Betül Kaçar ISME communications
- Universal paralogs provide a window into evolution before the last universal common ancestorAaron D Goldman, Gregory P Fournier, Betül Kaçar Cell genomics
- Resurrected nitrogenases recapitulate canonical N-isotope biosignatures over two billion yearsHolly R Rucker, Kunmanee Bubphamanee, Derek F Harris, Kurt Konhauser, Lance C Seefeldt, Roger Buick, Betül Kaçar Nature communications
- Planetary microbiology: microbes, planets, and the search for lifeBetül Kaçar Applied and environmental microbiology
- Structural evolution of nitrogenase over 3 billion yearsBruno Cuevas Zuviría, Franka Detemple, Kaustubh Amritkar, Amanda K Garcia, Lance Seefeldt, Oliver Einsle, Betül Kaçar eLife
- Evolution and structural diversity of the MotAB stator: insights into the origins of bacterial flagellar motilityCaroline Puente-Lelievre, Pietro Ridone, Jordan Douglas, Kaustubh Amritkar, Betül Kaçar, Matthew A B Baker, Nicholas J Matzke mBio
- The origins and evolution of translation factorsEvrim Fer, Tony Yao, Kaitlyn M McGrath, Aaron D Goldman, Betül Kaçar Trends in genetics : TIG
- Evolutionary Dynamics of RuBisCO: Emergence of the Small Subunit and its Impact Through TimeKaustubh Amritkar, Bruno Cuevas-Zuviría, Betül Kaçar Molecular biology and evolution
- Reconstructing Early Microbial LifeBetül Kaçar Annual review of microbiology
- Ancient nitrogenases are ATP dependentDerek F Harris, Holly R Rucker, Amanda K Garcia, Zhi-Yong Yang, Scott D Chang, Hannah Feinsilber, Betül Kaçar, Lance C Seefeldt mBio
- A concept for international societally relevant microbiology education and microbiology knowledge promulgation in societyKenneth Timmis, John E Hallsworth, Terry J McGenity, Rachel Armstrong, María Francisca Colom, Zeynep Ceren Karahan, Max Chavarría, Patricia Bernal, Eric S Boyd, Juan Luis Ramos, Martin Kaltenpoth, Carla Pruzzo, Gerard Clarke, Purificación López-Garcia, Michail M Yakimov, Jessamyn Perlmutter, Chris Greening, Emiley Eloe-Fadrosh, Willy Verstraete, Olga C Nunes, Oleg Kotsyurbenko, Pablo Iván Nikel, Paola Scavone, Max M Häggblom, Rob Lavigne, Frédérique Le Roux, James K Timmis, Victor Parro, Carmen Michán, José Luis García, Arturo Casadevall, Shelley M Payne, Joachim Frey, Omry Koren, James I Prosser, Leo Lahti, Rup Lal, Shailly Anand, Utkarsh Sood, Pierre Offre, Casey C Bryce, Allen Y...
- Emergence of an Orphan Nitrogenase Protein Following Atmospheric OxygenationBruno Cuevas-Zuviría, Amanda K Garcia, Alex J Rivier, Holly R Rucker, Brooke M Carruthers, Betül Kaçar Molecular biology and evolution
- A CRISPR interference system for engineering biological nitrogen fixationSteven J Russell, Amanda K Garcia, Betül Kaçar mSystems
- Fitness benefits of a synonymous substitution in an ancient EF-Tu gene depend on the genetic backgroundKaitlyn M McGrath, Steven J Russell, Evrim Fer, Eva Garmendia, Ali Hosgel, David A Baltrus, Betül Kaçar Journal of bacteriology
- Evolutionary flexibility and rigidity in the bacterial methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathwayBailey Marshall, Kaustubh Amritkar, Michael Wolfe, Betül Kaçar, Robert Landick Frontiers in microbiology
- A beneficial synonymous substitution in EF-Tu is contingent on genetic backgroundKaitlyn M McGrath, Steven J Russell, Evrim Fer, Eva Garmendia, Ali Hosgel, David A Baltrus, Betül Kaçar bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology
- The modular biochemical reaction network structure of cellular translationBruno Cuevas-Zuviría, Evrim Fer, Zachary R Adam, Betül Kaçar NPJ systems biology and applications
- Assessment of Stoichiometric Autocatalysis across Element GroupsZhen Peng, Zachary R Adam, Albert C Fahrenbach, Betül Kaçar Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Regulatory response to a hybrid ancestral nitrogenase in Azotobacter vinelandiiAlex J Rivier, Kevin S Myers, Amanda K Garcia, Morgan S Sobol, Betül Kaçar Microbiology spectrum
- Informatic Capabilities of Translation and Its Implications for the Origins of LifeBruno Cuevas-Zuviría, Zachary R Adam, Aaron D Goldman, Betül Kaçar Journal of molecular evolution
- Enigmatic evolution of microbial nitrogen fixation: insights from Earth's pastHolly R Rucker, Betül Kaçar Trends in microbiology
- Nitrogenase resurrection and the evolution of a singular enzymatic mechanismAmanda K Garcia, Derek F Harris, Alex J Rivier, Brooke M Carruthers, Azul Pinochet-Barros, Lance C Seefeldt, Betül Kaçar eLife
- Effects of RuBisCO and CO2 concentration on cyanobacterial growth and carbon isotope fractionationAmanda K Garcia, Mateusz Kędzior, Arnaud Taton, Meng Li, Jodi N Young, Betül Kaçar Geobiology
- Early Nitrogenase Ancestors Encompassed Novel Active Site DiversitySarah L Schwartz, Amanda K Garcia, Betül Kaçar, Gregory P Fournier Molecular biology and evolution
- Early divergence of translation initiation and elongation factorsEvrim Fer, Kaitlyn M McGrath, Lionel Guy, Adam J Hockenberry, Betül Kaçar Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society
- An Integrated Method to Reconstruct Ancient ProteinsAmanda K Garcia, Evrim Fer, Cathryn Sephus, Betul Kacar Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)
- Very early evolution from the perspective of microbial ecologyAaron D Goldman, Betül Kaçar Environmental microbiology
- Earliest Photic Zone Niches Probed by Ancestral Microbial RhodopsinsCathryn D Sephus, Evrim Fer, Amanda K Garcia, Zachary R Adam, Edward W Schwieterman, Betul Kacar Molecular biology and evolution
- Resurrected Rubisco suggests uniform carbon isotope signatures over geologic timeMateusz Kędzior, Amanda K Garcia, Meng Li, Arnaud Taton, Zachary R Adam, Jodi N Young, Betül Kaçar Cell reports
- Reconstruction of Nitrogenase Predecessors Suggests Origin from Maturase-Like ProteinsAmanda K Garcia, Bryan Kolaczkowski, Betül Kaçar Genome biology and evolution
- Correction: Automated Laboratory Growth Assessment and Maintenance of Azotobacter vinelandiiBrooke M Carruthers, Amanda K Garcia, Alex Rivier, Betul Kacar Current protocols
- Quantification of RuBisCO Expression and Photosynthetic Oxygen Evolution in CyanobacteriaMateusz Kędzior, Betul Kacar Bio-protocol
- Kinetic Analysis Suggests Evolution of Ribosome Specificity in Modern Elongation Factor-Tus from "Generalist" AncestorsArindam De Tarafder, Narayan Prasad Parajuli, Soneya Majumdar, Betül Kaçar, Suparna Sanyal Molecular biology and evolution
- The curious consistency of carbon biosignatures over billions of years of Earth-life coevolutionAmanda K Garcia, Colleen M Cavanaugh, Betul Kacar The ISME journal
- Automated Laboratory Growth Assessment and Maintenance of Azotobacter vinelandiiBrooke M Carruthers, Amanda K Garcia, Alex Rivier, Betul Kacar Current protocols
- Cofactors are Remnants of Life's Origin and Early EvolutionAaron D Goldman, Betul Kacar Journal of molecular evolution
- Radiolysis generates a complex organosynthetic chemical networkZachary R Adam, Albert C Fahrenbach, Sofia M Jacobson, Betul Kacar, Dmitry Yu Zubarev Scientific reports
- Evolutionary History of Bioessential Elements Can Guide the Search for Life in the UniverseBetul Kacar, Amanda K Garcia, Ariel D Anbar Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology
- Evolutionary stalling and a limit on the power of natural selection to improve a cellular moduleSandeep Venkataram, Ross Monasky, Shohreh H Sikaroodi, Sergey Kryazhimskiy, Betul Kacar Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Reconstructing the evolutionary history of nitrogenases: Evidence for ancestral molybdenum-cofactor utilizationAmanda K Garcia, Hanon McShea, Bryan Kolaczkowski, Betül Kaçar Geobiology
- Emerging Frontiers in the Study of Molecular EvolutionDavid A Liberles, Belinda Chang, Kerry Geiler-Samerotte, Aaron Goldman, Jody Hey, Betül Kaçar, Michelle Meyer, William Murphy, David Posada, Andrew Storfer Journal of molecular evolution
- How to resurrect ancestral proteins as proxies for ancient biogeochemistryAmanda K Garcia, Betül Kaçar Free radical biology & medicine
- Exoplanet Biosignatures: Future DirectionsSara I Walker, William Bains, Leroy Cronin, Shiladitya DasSarma, Sebastian Danielache, Shawn Domagal-Goldman, Betul Kacar, Nancy Y Kiang, Adrian Lenardic, Christopher T Reinhard, William Moore, Edward W Schwieterman, Evgenya L Shkolnik, Harrison B Smith Astrobiology
- Resurrecting ancestral genes in bacteria to interpret ancient biosignaturesBetul Kacar, Lionel Guy, Eric Smith, John Baross Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences
- Functional Constraints on Replacing an Essential Gene with Its Ancient and Modern HomologsBetül Kacar, Eva Garmendia, Nurcan Tuncbag, Dan I Andersson, Diarmaid Hughes mBio
- Constraining the timing of the Great Oxidation Event within the Rubisco phylogenetic treeB Kacar, V Hanson-Smith, Z R Adam, N Boekelheide Geobiology
- Experimental Evolution of Escherichia coli Harboring an Ancient Translation ProteinBetül Kacar, Xueliang Ge, Suparna Sanyal, Eric A Gaucher Journal of molecular evolution
- The Astrobiology Primer v2.0Shawn D Domagal-Goldman, Katherine E Wright, Katarzyna Adamala, Leigh Arina de la Rubia, Jade Bond, Lewis R Dartnell, Aaron D Goldman, Kennda Lynch, Marie-Eve Naud, Ivan G Paulino-Lima, Kelsi Singer, Marina Walther-Antonio, Ximena C Abrevaya, Rika Anderson, Giada Arney, Dimitra Atri, Armando Azúa-Bustos, Jeff S Bowman, William J Brazelton, Gregory A Brennecka, Regina Carns, Aditya Chopra, Jesse Colangelo-Lillis, Christopher J Crockett, Julia DeMarines, Elizabeth A Frank, Carie Frantz, Eduardo de la Fuente, Douglas Galante, Jennifer Glass, Damhnait Gleeson, Christopher R Glein, Colin Goldblatt, Rachel Horak, Lev Horodyskyj, Betül Kaçar, Akos Kereszturi, Emily Knowles, Paul Mayeur, Shawn McGlynn, Yamila Miguel, Michelle...
- Experimental evolution of protein-protein interaction networksBetül Kaçar, Eric A Gaucher The Biochemical journal
The Kaçar Lab investigates the origins of life, the biology of early Earth and how understanding life’s emergence and early mechanisms may assist finding life beyond Earth. We are home to the NASA Astrobiology Center for Early Life and Evolution. Our integrative approach enables the study of biomolecule-scale macroevolutionary trends that span billions of years of history and is a fundamentally new methodology with which to study the origins and early evolution of life. The overall goal of our work is to assess the possible environmental impacts of ancient enzymes on global-scale signatures that record biological activity. Our work has been recognized by various media outlets, such as the UN Women, UNICEF, Library of Congress, European Union Delegation on Education, NOVA Science, BBC, NPR Science Friday, MIT Technology Review, Vice News, Wired, PBS, CNN and others.
For more please visit the following links:
- The lab resurrecting ancient proteins to unlock life’s secrets
- A Protein Society Interview With Betül Kaçar: Gazing into the Past to See the Future
- Betul Kacar United Nations I am Generation Equality Campaign
- Watch a PBS documentary featuring our work: Origins of Life
- Click here to download a NASA Comic Book featuring our work
- Listen to Betül’s TED talk: A chemical cocktail for life across the cosmos
Start and Promotion Dates
- Assistant Professor: 2021
- Associate Professor: 2024
Education
PhD: Emory University, Department of Chemistry
Postdoctoral research: NASA Astrobiology Institute and Harvard University
Zachary Adam – Associate Scientist
Kaustubh Amritkar – Grad Student
Rajdeep Banerjee – Scientist
Allie Beyer – Grad Student
Ezra Bolotsky – Research Tech
Bruno Cuevas Zuviria – Honorary Researcher
Kaleb Fisher – Grad Student
Katsumi Hagino – Postdoc
Maria Katsoulidis – Project Coordinator
Elias Kemna – Grad Student
Aya Klos – Grad Student
Holly Rucker – Grad Student
Morgan Sobol – Postdoc