Dr. Brendan Burns
- Position: Senior Lecturer
- Room: 351, Biological Sciences Building
- Phone: (+61 2) 9385 3659
- Fax: (+61 2) 9385 1483
- email: brendan.burns@unsw.edu.au
Professional Experience
- 1992-1994: Research Assistant, School of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, UNSW
- 1995-1999: Doctoral Student, School of Microbiology and Immunology, UNSW
- 1999-2000: Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Microbiology and Immunology, UNSW
- 2000-2001: Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, Max von Pettenkofer Institute for Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Ludwigs Maximilians Universität, Munich, Germany
- 2002-2004: ARC Fellow: BABS, UNSW
- 2005: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellow, School of Life and Environmental Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
- 2005: Lecturer, School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW
- 2006- Australian Research Fellow, BABS, UNSW
Research Contribution
Dr Burns has expertise in the study of stromatolite communities. Of particular significance, Dr Burns conducted the first polyphasic study of modern stromatolite communities identifying a range of metabolically diverse organisms. These included a range of cyanobacteria, heterotrophic bacteria, and archaea. This is the first time such a diversity of archaea associated with marine stromatolites has been shown. Several sequences identified are also unique phylotypes with no close relatives in the database, and these may possess novel physiologies vital to the persistent morphogenesis of these living fossils. Characterising the microbial diversity of these stromatolites provided an excellent framework for exploring functional characteristics of these systems to logically advance the research. This is the next rational step in the comprehensive investigation of these ancient ecosystems.
Using this excellent base, Dr Burns has isolated several new archaeal species from this environment that possess unique characteristics, including novel osmolyte patterns suggestive of innovative salt tolerance mechanisms. This has the potential for providing results of national significance in relation to Australia's growing salinity and drought problems. Dr Burns' group has conducted lipid analyses of these communities, which will provide vital information for comparisons with fossilised stromatolites and more rational interpretations of the fossil record.
Dr Burns has also demonstrated for the first time the genetic potential of these systems to produce novel bioactive compounds, including the identification of a putative anti-cancer agent. Most recently Dr Burns and collaborators identified quorum-sensing molecules in stromatolite archaea, potentially the first evidence of this in this domain of life. Dr Burns' findings have also provided information vital to the conservation of these unique resources, monitoring carefully changes in biological diversity that could indicate possible threats to stromatolite systems.
Most significantly, Dr Burns has demonstrated the importance of an integrated approach to the study of a functionally diverse biological system. The long-term goal is to build on this research and extend these kinds of functional complexity studies to other evolutionally significant environments.
Honours & Awards
- Young Scientist Award (European Helicobacter pylori Study Group; 1997,1998,1999, 2000)
- Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (2000)
- ASM Research Trust Fellowship (2001)
- Kanagawa Museum of Natural History Award (2003)
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Invitation Fellowship (2004)
- NSW Australian Society for Microbiology Members Review Award (2004)
- Eureka Prize for Interdisciplinary Scientific Research (2005)
- Australian Institute of Political Science Tall Poppy Award (2005)
- Visiting appointment: Associate Professor at the University of Tsukuba, Japan.
Active Research Projects
- Bioastronautics: The Influence of Space Travel on Cellular Function
- Stromatolites and the Origins of Life
Publications
- Jungblut ADJ, Allen, MA, Burns BP, Neilan BA. (2009)
- Lipid biomarker analysis of cyanobacterial dominated microbial mats in meltwater ponds on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica
- Organic Geochem 40, 258-269
- Allen, M.A., Goh, F., Burns, B.P. & Neilan, B.A. (2009)
- Bacterial, archaeal and eukaryotic diversity of microbial mat communities in the hypersaline lagoon of Shark Bay.
- Geobiology 7, 82-96.
- Goh, F., Allen, M.A., Kawaguchi, T., Decho, A.W., Neilan, B.A. and Burns, B.P. (2009)
- Determining the specific microbial populations and their spatial distribution within the stromatolite ecosystem of Shark Bay.
- ISME J. 3: 383-96.
- Leuko, S., Raftery, M., Burns, B.P., Walter, M.R., and Neilan, B.A. (2009)
- Global protein-level responses of Halobacterium salinarum NRC-1 to prolonged changes in external sodium chloride concentrations.
- J Proteome Res. 8, 2218-25.
- Burns, B.P., Anitori, R., Butterworth, P., Henneberger, R., Goh, F., Allen, M.A., Ibanez-Peral, R., Bergquist, P.L., Walter, M.R., Neilan, B.A. (2009)
- Modern analogues and the early history of microbial life.
- Precambrian Res (in press)
- Burns, B.P., Walter, M.R. and Neilan, B.A. (2008)
- Stromatolites.
- In: From Fossils to Astrobiology. Seckbach J and Walsh M (Eds). Springer, New York, pp 143-158.
- Allen, M.A., Goh, F., Leuko, S., Igo, A.E., Mizuki, T., Usami, R., Karnekura, M., Neilan, B.A. & Burns B.P. (2008)
- Haloferax elongans sp nov and Haloterax mucosum sp nov., isolated from microbial mats from Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay, Australia
- International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 58: 798-802.
- Castiglioni, S., Pomati, F., Miller, K., Burns, B.P., Zuccato, E., Calamari, D. and Neilan, B.A. (2008)
- Novel homologs of the multiple resistance regulator marA in antibiotic-contaminated environments.
- Water Research. 42: 4271-4280
- Leuko, S., Goh, F., Ibanezz-Peral, R., Burns, B.P., Walter, M.R. and Neilan, B.A. (2008)
- I Lysis efficiency of standard DNA extraction methods for Halococcus spp. in an organic rich environment.
- Extremophiles. 12: 301-308.
- Muenchhoff J, Hirose E, Maruyama T, Sunairi M, Burns BP, Neilan BA (2007)
- Host specificity and phylogeography of the prochlorophyte Prochloron sp., an obligate symbiont in didemnid ascidians.
- Environ Microbiol. 2007 Apr;9(4):890-9.
- Marshall CP, S Leuko, CM Coyle, MR Walter, BP Burns, BA Neilan (2007)
- Carotenoid analysis of halophilic Archaea by resonance Raman Spectroscopy.
- Astrobiology 7 (4),631-643.
- Leuko S, F Goh, MA Allen, BP Burns, MR Walter, BA Neilan (2007)
- Analysis of intergenic spacer region length polymorphisms to investigate the halophilic archaeal diversity of stromatolites and microbial mats
- Extremophiles 11, 203-210.
- Burns BP, F Pomati, F Goh, SA Yasar, BA Neilan (2006)
- Stromatolites as a resource for novel natural products
- Orig Life Evol Biosph. 36(5-6), 623-624
- Burns BP, F Goh, M Allen and BA Neilan (2004)
- Microbial diversity of extant stromatolites in the hypersaline marine environment of Shark Bay, Australia.
- Environ Micro 6, 1096-1101.
- Burns B; F Goh; M Allen; Neilan BA (2004)
- Microbial diversity of extant stromatolites in the hypersaline marine environment of Shark Bay, Australia.
- Environmental Microbiology 6; 1096-1101.
- Neilan BA; ML Saker; J Fastner; A Torokne; BP Burns (2003)
- Phylogeography of the invasive cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii.
- Molecular Ecology 12:133-140.