Alexandre Poulain

Biography

We assess and quantify threats to ecosystem health that are associated with toxic metal(loid)s. We determine how microbes interact with contaminants at the cellular level and evaluate the consequences of these interactions at the ecosystem level. We investigate how microbes sense and transform metals, particularly for detoxification, how such processes evolved, and how this information can be applied to the development of novel analytical and bioremediation tools.

Selected publications:

• Ruuskanen, M.O., Aris-Brosou, S. and Poulain, A.J., (2020) Swift evolutionary response of microbes to a rise in anthropogenic mercury in the Northern Hemisphere. The ISME Journal, 14:788-800.
• Pothier, M.P., Hinz, A., and Poulain, A.J., (2018) Insights into Arsenite and Arsenate Uptake Pathways Using a Whole Cell Biosensor. Frontiers in Microbiology. 9:2310.
• Grégoire D.S., and Poulain, A.J., (2016) A Physiological Role for Mercury During Phototrophic Growth. Nature Geoscience 9: 121-125. 
• Ariya, P.A., Amyot, M., Dastoor, A., Deeds, D., Subir, M., Feinberg, A., Kos, G., Poulain, A.J., Ryjkov, A., Semeniuk, K., Toyota, K., (2015) Mercury Physicochemical and Biogeochemical Transformation in the Atmosphere and at Atmospheric Interfaces: A Review and Future Directions.  Chemical Reviews 115(10): 3760-3802
• Chiasson-Gould, S., Blais, J. and Poulain, A.J. (2014) Dissolved Organic Matter kinetically controls mercury bioavailability to bacteria. Environmental Science & Technology. 48(6) 3153-3161.
• Poulain, A.J., and Barkay, T., (2013) Cracking the Mercury Methylation Code. Science. 339: 1280-1281.