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Professors
De Vos Paul
Huys Geert
Vandamme Peter
Willems Anne
 
 
Willems Anne
Address: K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35
                9000 Gent
                Belgium

Email: Anne.Willems@UGent.be
Tel : (+32) 9 264.51.03
Fax: (+32) 9 264.50.92
Research activities :

  • Main research interests are bacterial diversity and ecology, phylogeny, classification and taxonomy of bacteria.

  • Research over the last 10 years has focussed on the rhizobia and relatives. The laboratory has for many years had a strong tradition in polyphasic taxonomic research of symbiotic nitrogen fixers. This was extended in recent years with multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA), which we use to study the rhizobia (Sinorhizobium/Ensifer: PhD study of Miet Martens; Bradyrhizobium: post-doc project of Raul Rivas). Using the MLSA data we also developed an identification microarray for Ensifer/Sinorhizobium.

  • Recent research activities include Antarctic microbiology, endosymbiotic bacteria and bacteria in marine benthic foodwebs.
Projects :

  1. Diversity of rhizobia from Belgian leguminous plants: a molecular inventory (Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds UGent)

  2. Antarctic microbial biodiversity: the importance of geographical and ecological factors (AMBIO) (Belgian Science Policy Office)

  3. Bacterial species: from new concept to new definition (FWO-Vlaanderen)

  4. Renforcement des capacités institutionnelles du réseau des Collections Coordonnées Marocaines de Micro-organismes (CCMM) par valorisation des micro-organismes à potentiel biotechnologique (Belgian Technical Cooperation - Morocco)

  5. Development of nucleair markers for phylogenetic inference and the study of speciatie in Chlorophyta (Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds UGent)

  6. Diversity of Bradyrhizobium by multi-locus sequence analysis and polyphasic identification of new isolates from different host legumes (Ministry of Education, Spain)
Teaching :

General Microbiology
     Course for Biology students of Bachelor year 2 (in Dutch), includes 2 weeks of laboratory exercises

Microbial Ecology
     Course for Biology students of Master year 1 (in English, together with Wim Vyverman, Mieke Verbeken & Pieter Vanormelingen)

Practical Taxonomy: principles and techniques
     Course for Biology students of Master year 1 (in English, together with Koen Sabbe, Olivier De Clerck & Tim Deprez)

Microbial Diversity and Taxonomy (prokaryotes)
     Course for Biology students of Master year 1 (in English, together with Paul De Vos)

Functional microbiology: adaptations of micro-organisms to the environment
     Course for Biology students of Master year 1 (in English, together with Sofie Goormachtig)

Biotechnology of bacteria
     Course for Biotechnology students of Master year 2 (in English, together with Paul De Vos)
Curriculum :

Employment

2005-present: Professor of microbiology at Ghent University, Fac. Sciences, Lab. of Microbiology.
1996-2005: Post-doc Research Fellow of the Fund for Scientific Research - Flanders, stationed at the Laboratory for Microbiology, Ghent University.
Main project: Polyphasic taxonomic research of rhizobia and related bacteria. Techniques: mainly sequencing of 16S rDNA and ITS, AFLP analysis, DNA-DNA hybridizations etc.
1996: Senior Scientific Officer at the Institute of Food Research, Reading , UK.
Main project: Genotypic and phenotypic characterization of functionally important saccharolytic bacteria from the colon and implications for host health.
Techniques: Chemostat enrichment cultures using various dietary and endogenous polysaccharides. Large numbers of strains were isolated and characterized genotypically and phenotypically.
1992-1996: Higher Scientific Officer at the Institute of Food Research, Reading, UK.
Projects:
  • Identification of some atypical lactobacilli.

  • Isolation, cloning and sequencing of the botulinum toxin gene of Clostridium botulinum type A associated with infant botulism.

  • Identification and phylogeny of gut microflora, with special emphasis on acetogenic bacteria and Bacteroidaceae.
Techniques: PCR-direct sequencing, cloning, plasmid sequencing and probe technology.
1991-1992: Visiting Post-doctoral Fellow at the Microbiology Dept., Institute of Food Research, Reading (UK); funding: EU-BRIDGE sectoral grant.
Project: Development of rRNA based group specific hybridization probes for the identification of rhizobia in natural ecosystems.
1990-1991: Research assistant in the Lab. for Microbiology, Ghent University.
1986-1990: Research assistant of the National Fund for Scientific Research, stationed at the Laboratory for Microbiology, Ghent University.
1985-1986: Doctoral student grant IWONL, Laboratory for Microbiology, Ghent University.
Education

1985-1990 Ph.D. research in the Lab. for Microbiology, Ghent University.
Thesis: The Comamonadaceae, a new bacterial family.
Promotors: K. Kersters &. J. De Ley
1986 Diploma for teaching biology in secondary schools, Ghent University.
1983-1985 Licentiaat in Botany, physiology - biochemistry section, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University (similar to M.Sc.)
1981-1983 Kandidaat in Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University (similar to B.Sc.)
Selected papers :

  1. Peeters, K., Ertz, D. & Willems, A. (2011). Culturable bacterial diversity at the Princess Elisabeth Station (Utsteinen, Sør Rondane Mountains, East Antarctica) harbours many new taxa. Syst. Appl. Microbiol., 34:360-367.

  2. Martens, M., Delaere, M., Coopman, R., De Vos, P., Gillis, M. & Willems, A. (2007). Multilocus sequence analysis of Ensifer and related taxa. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 57, 489-503.

  3. Valverde A., Velázquez, E., Fernández-Santos, F., Vizcaíno, N., Rivas, R., Gillis, M., Mateos, P. F., Martínez-Molina, E., Igual, J. M. & Willems, A. (2005). Phyllobacterium trifolii sp. nov. nodulating Trifolium and Lupinus in Spanish soils. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 55, 1985-1989.

  4. Trujillo M.E., Willems, A., Abril, A., Planchuelo, A.-M., Rivas, R., Ludeña, D., Mateos, P. F., Martínez-Molina, E. & Velázquez, E. (2005). Nodulation of Lupinus by strains of Ochrobactrum lupini sp. nov. Appl Environm Microbiol, 71, 1318-1327.

  5. Willems, A., Fernández-López, M., Muñoz, E., Goris, J., Martínez-Romero, E., Toro, N. & Gillis, M. (2003). Description of new Ensifer strains from nodules and Proposal to transfer Ensifer adhaerens Cassida 1982 to Sinorhizobium as Sinorhizobium adhaerens comb. nov. Request for an Opinion. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 53, 1207-1217.

  6. Willems, A., Munive, a., de Lajudie, P. & Gillis, M. (2003). In most Bradyrhizobium groups sequence comparison of 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacer regions corroborates DNA-DNA hybridizations. Syst Appl Microbiol 26, 203-210.

  7. Rivas, R., Willems, A., Subba-Rao, N. S., Mateos, P. F., Dazzo, F. B., Martínez-Molina, E., Gillis, M. & Velázquez, E. (2003). Description of Devosia neptuniae sp. nov. that nodulates and fixes nitrogen in symbiosis with Neptunia natans, an aquatic legume from India. Syst Appl Microbiol 26, 47-53.

  8. Vandamme, P., Goris, J., Chen, W.-M., De Vos, P. & Willems, A. (2002). Burkholderia tuberum sp. nov. and Burkholderia phymatum sp. nov. nodulate the roots of tropical legumes. Syst Appl Microbiol 25, 507-512.

  9. Sy, A., Giraud, E., Jourand, P., Garcia, N., Willems, A., de Lajudie, P., Prin, Y., Neyra, M., Gillis, M., Masson-Boivin, C. & B. Dreyfus. (2001). Methylotrophic Methylobacterium nodulate and fix nitrogen in symbiosis with legumes. J Bacteriol 183, 214-220.

  10. Willems, A., Coopman, R. & Gillis, M. (2001). Comparison of sequence analysis of 16S - 23S rDNA spacer regions, AFLP analysis, and DNA-DNA hybridizations in Bradyrhizobium. Int. J Syst Evol Microbiol 51, 623-632.

  11. de Lajudie, P., Willems, A., Nick, G., Molouba, F., Hoste, B., Torck, U., Neyra, M., Collins, M. D., Dreyfus, B., Kersters, K., Lindström, K. & Gillis, M. (1998). Characterization of tropical tree rhizobia and description of Mesorhizobium plurifarium sp. nov. Int J Syst Bacteriol 48, 369-382.

  12. de Lajudie, P., Willems, A., Pot, B., Dewettinck, D., Maestrojuan, G., Neyra, M., Collins, M. D., Dreyfus, B., Kersters, K. & Gillis, M. (1994). Polyphasic taxonomy of rhizobia: Emendation of the genus Sinorhizobium and description of Sinorhizobium meliloti comb. nov., Sinorhizobium saheli sp. nov., and Sinorhizobium teranga sp. nov. Int J Syst Bacteriol 44, 715-733.

  13. Collins, M. D., Lawson, P. A., Willems, A., Cordoba, J. J., Fernandez-Garayzabal, J. , Garcia, P., Cai, J., Hippe, H. & Farrow, J. A. E. (1994). The phylogeny of the genus Clostridium: Proposal of five new genera and eleven new species combinations. Int J Syst Bacteriol 44, 812-826.

  14. Willems, A., Falsen, E., Pot, B., Jantzen, E., Hoste, B., Vandamme, P., Gillis, M., Kersters, K. & De Ley, J. (1990). Acidovorax, a new genus for Pseudomonas facilis, Pseudomonas delafieldii, E. Falsen (EF) group 13, EF group 16, and several clinical isolates, with the species Acidovorax facilis comb. nov., Acidovorax delafieldii comb. nov., and Acidovorax temperans sp. nov. Int J Syst Bacteriol 40, 384 398.

  15. Willems, A., Busse, J., Goor, M., Pot, B., Falsen, E., Jantzen, E., Hoste, B., Gillis, M., Kersters, K., Auling, G. & De Ley, J. (1989). Hydrogenophaga, a new genus of hydrogen oxidizing bacteria that includes Hydrogenophaga flava comb. nov. (formerly Pseudomonas flava), Hydrogenophaga palleronii (formerly Pseudomonas palleronii), Hydrogenophaga pseudoflava (formerly Pseudomonas pseudoflava and "Pseudomonas carboxydoflava"), and Hydrogenophaga taeniospiralis (formerly Pseudomonas taeniospiralis). Int J Syst Bacteriol 39, 319 333.
 last updated Thu 18 Aug 2011 12:11:55