Bert Berla 1 of 3 Professional Profile
PhD in chemical engineering; expertise in engineering photosynthetic organisms.
Research Highlights
• Identified the physiological role for a new class of diesel-like secondary
metabolites in supporting photosynthesis during cold-stress.
• Identified effects of cadmium exposure on the Brassica juncea root proteome
using multiple high-throughput proteomics methods.
• Designed a new system for high protein expression in cyanobacteria from novel
genetic loci.
• Resolved a 45-year conflict in the literature about cyanobacterial central
metabolism using stable isotope labeling. Our experiments provided the first
direct, in vivo evidence that a complete TCA cycle exists in cyanobacteria.
• Created a high-quality, comprehensive metabolic model of Synechocystis 6803
that predicted engineering strategies for biofuel production.
Education:
• PhD (December 2014) in Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering,
Washington University in St. Louis. Dissertation topic: “Metabolic Engineering of
Cyanobacteria for Photosynthetic Production of Drop-In Liquid Fuels”.
• BS Cum Laude (2005) in Biology Honors and Chemistry, University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign. Thesis topic: “Growth of Flaveria Species Exposed to Elevated
Carbon Dioxide and Ozone”.
Research Experience:
• PhD Thesis project: ““Metabolic Engineering of Cyanobacteria for Photosynthetic
Production of Drop-In Liquid Fuels”, May.2008 – Present
o Developed genetic tools for a model cyanobacterium.
o Demonstrated that diesel-like molecules produced by cyanobacteria are
necessary for cold tolerance.
o Engineered cyanobacteria to produce high levels of drop-in diesel biofuels.
o Standardized a GC-MS assay for n-alkane production from cyanobacteria
with >10X higher sample throughput than the standard method.
o Collaborated with computational biologists to build a comprehensive, highquality, genome-scale metabolic model of a photosynthetic bacterium.
o Mentored a group of undergraduate researchers in the IGEM (international
Genetically Engineered Machine) competition.
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Research Technician, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, labs of Daniel
Schachtman and Leslie Hicks, Jan.2006 – Jul.2008
o Standardized a real-time assay of transpiration in maize leaves.
Bert Berla 2 of 3 o Investigated the control of drought response by small molecules in maize
xylem sap, identifying signals that led to drought tolerance and resistance.
o Mastered a variety of techniques including gene expression assays, ion
chromatography, mass spectrometry, porometry, proteomics.
o Mentored undergraduate summer interns.
o Analyzed the Brassica juncea root proteome during exposure to cadmium.
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Undergraduate Thesis, Univ. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Aug.2001 – May.2005
o Designed and implemented a model system to study how rising CO2 will
affect C3 and C4 plants.
o Performed surveys of insect populations in the corn-soybean ecosystem.
Skills:
Molecular Biology and Cloning
Analytical Chemistry
Protein Biochemistry
Metabolic Engineering
Basic computer programming
Laboratory Safety Officer
Lab Webmaster
Publications:
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Berla BM, Saha R, Maranas CD, Pakrasi HB (2015) “Cyanobacterial Alkanes Promote
Growth in Cold Stress and Modulate Cyclic Photophosphorylation” Submitted to Science
Advances.
Ng A, Berla BM, Pakrasi HB (2015) “Neutral sites on endogenous plasmids in
Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 enable increased protein expression and are composable with
strong promoters” In preparation.
You L, Berla B, He L, Pakrasi HB and Tang YJ (2014) “13C-MFA delineates the
photomixotrophic metabolism of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 under light- and carbonsufficient conditions” Biotechnol J doi: 10.1002/biot.201300477
Alvarez S, Berla BM, Sheffield J, Cahoon RE, Jez JM, Hicks LM. (2009) “Comprehensive
analysis of the Brassica juncea root proteome in response to cadmium exposure by
complementary proteomic approaches” Proteomics 9(9):2419-31
Ernst L, Goodger JQ, Alvarez S, Marsh EL, Berla B, Lockhart E, Jung J, Li P, Bohnert HJ,
Schachtman DP (2010) “Sulphate as a xylem-borne chemical signal precedes the
expression of ABA biosynthetic genes in maize roots” J Exp Bot 61(12):3395-405.
Berla BM, Saha R, Immethun CM, Moon TS, Maranas CD, Pakrasi HB (2013) "Synthetic
Biology of Cyanobacteria: Unique Challenges and Opportunities" Frontiers in
Microbiology 4:246 doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2013.00246
Mueller T, Berla BM, Pakrasi HB, Maranas CD (2013) “Rapid Construction of Metabolic
Models for a Family of Cyanobacteria Using a Multiple Source Annotation Workflow" BMC
Syst Biol doi: 10.1186/1752-0509-7-142
Berla BM, Pakrasi HB (2012) "Up-regulation of plasmid-encoded genes during stationary
phase in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, a cyanobacterium", Appl Environ Microbiol doi:
10.1128/AEM.01174-12
Saha R, Verseput AT, Berla BM, Mueller TJ, Pakrasi HB, Maranas CD (2012)
“Reconstruction and Comparison of the Metabolic Potential of Cyanobacteria Cyanothece
sp. ATCC 51142 and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803” PloS ONE 7(10):e48285
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You L, Berla BM, Feng X, Page L, Pakrasi HB, Tang YJ (2012) “Metabolic pathway
discovery and quantification via 13C-isotopomer analysis of proteinogenic amino `acids” J
Vis Exp doi: 10.3791/3583
Feng X, Bandyopadhyay A, Berla BM, Page L, Wu B, Pakrasi HB, Tang YJ (2010)
“Mixotrophic and photoheterotrophic metabolism in Cyanothece sp. PCC 51142 under
continuous light” Microbiology 156(8):2566-2574
Recent Presentations:
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Berla BM, Saha R, Ng A, Maranas CD, Pakrasi HB. January 23, 2015. Environmental
Molecular Sciences Lab, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA
“Cyanobacterial Alkanes: Today’s Antifreeze Is Tomorrow’s Gas.”
Berla BM, Saha R, Pakrasi HB. October 26, 2014. Annual Midwest/Southeast
Photosynthesis Meeting, Turkey Run, IN “Cyanobacterial Alkanes Enable Growth and
Modulate Cyclic Electron Flow Under Cold-Stress.”
Berla BM, Yu J, Ng A, Pakrasi HB. July 21, 2014. Society for Industrial Microbiology and
Biotechnology Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO “Cyanobacterial Alkanes Enable LowTemperature Growth” Poster.
Berla BM, Pakrasi HB. April 4, 2014. Graduate Student Research Award Lecture,
Washington University Dept. of Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering, St.
Louis, MO “Upregulation of plasmid genes during stationary phase in the cyanobacterium
Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803 and potential use of these plasmids for biofuel
engineering.”
Yu J, Berla BM, Landry BP, Mueller T, Saha R, Sherman LA, Maranas CD, Pakrasi HB.
February 10, 2014. Genomic Science Contractors-Grantees Meeting XII, Bethesda, MD
“Use of Systems Biology Approaches to Develop Advanced Biofuel-Synthesizing
Cyanobacterial Strains” Poster.
Saha R, Verseput AT, Berla BM, Mueller TJ, Pakrasi HB, Maranas CD. August 7 2013. 11th
Workshop on Cyanobacteria, St. Louis, MO “Comparative Genome-Scale Modeling of the
Metabolic Potential of Cyanobacteria Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142 and Synechocystis sp.
PCC 6803” Poster.
Kottapalli J, Luskin J, Shih R, Sossenheimer P, Berla BM, Bhattacharyya M, Duan N,
Liberton M, Yu J, Zhao LX, Zhang F, Pakrasi HB. August 7 2013. 11th Workshop on
Cyanobacteria, St. Louis, MO “Converting E. coli into a Nitrogen Bio-Fertilizer Using a
Cyanobacterial nif Cluster: an iGEM project” Poster.
You L, Berla BM, He L, Pakrasi HB, Tang YJ. August 7 2013. 11th Workshop on
Cyanobacteria, St. Louis, MO “In Vivo Quantification of Flux Through A Cyanobacterial TCA
Cycle” Poster.
Mueller T, Saha R, Berla BM, Pakrasi HB, Maranas CD. February 25, 2013. 2013 Genomic
Science Contractors-Grantees Meeting, Bethesda, MD “Construction of Metabolic Models
for a Family of Cyanobacteria” Poster.
Honors and Awards:
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IGEM Silver Medal (2014), Team NitroGenious
Doctoral Student Research Award (2013-2014 academic year), Department of Energy,
Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis.
Wiley Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship Finalist (2015), US Department of Energy