Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Sasha Tetu is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Molecular Sciences at Macquarie University. Sasha obtained her PhD from the University of Sydney for research into the interactions of different mobile genetic elements within bacterial genomes. Following this she worked as a postdoctoral researcher with Prof Ian Paulsen here at Macquarie University, applying molecular microbiology and ‘omics techniques to microorganisms involved in disease, industrial and agricultural processes. This was followed by an ARC DECRA fellowship (finished in 2020) investigating how anthropogenic pollutants affect marine bacteria, from population and phenotypic changes, down to changes in gene expression.
Sasha’s current research efforts focus on understanding the genetic basis for microbial adaptation to environmental pressures and how environmental perturbations impact microbial communities. She is particularly interested in how mobile genetic elements contribute to niche adaptation in bacteria.
Dr Tetu would love to hear from motivated students keen to join her Applied and Environmental Microbiology research group.
Research engagement
Projects currently underway include:
Investigating the impact of human pollutants on key marine microbes
Bacterial primary producers underpin marine food webs and are critical to biogeochemical cycling in the ocean. However, despite their importance, they are often not considered in pollution threat assessment. We are working to address this knowledge gap, with a number of projects underway looking at how key marine photosynthetic bacteria are affected by anthropogenic pollutants, such as chemicals leached from plastic litter.
This research applies culture-based microbiology and molecular biology techniques to look at how different chemicals affect the growth, physiology and gene expression of these important marine microbes. Techniques used in this work include flow cytometry, photophysiology measurements, metagenomics and transcriptomics. Work to date has led to widely acclaimed publications (eg https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-019-0410-x, covered by >40 news outlets around the world).
For more information on this work please also check out our recent review (https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-020-0789-4)
Origins and spread of integron gene cassettes (together with Prof Michael Gillings)
Integrons and their associated gene cassettes are mobile genetic elements capable of transferring genetic information across a wide range of bacteria, including between distantly related taxa. They are best known for their role in spreading antibiotic resistance genes among pathogens. In addition to their clinical significance there is good evidence they contribute to broader niche adaptation in many bacterial species.
In this ARC funded project, we are setting out to address key outstanding questions in integron biology. How are integron gene cassettes generated and in which taxa does this occur? What range of traits are encoded in gene cassettes? This research involves applying a suite of molecular microbiology tools and bioinformatic analyses to samples from a diverse array of environments. Understanding cassette origins is key to controlling their activity, both to prevent pathogens from acquiring new, dangerous traits and in investigating potential beneficial biotechnological applications.
For more information please see our recent review (Ghaley et al 2020 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966842X19303178?via%3Dihub)
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Exploring seed microbiomes to develop bespoke microbial amendments for enhancing revegetation success of underutilized native species
Tetu, S., Alfonzetti, M., Gallagher, R. & van der Merwe, M.
1/01/24 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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Assessing the impacts of Snomax, an ice-nucleating bacterium for creating artificial snow, on the Australian Alpine environment.
2/12/22 → 31/12/26
Project: Research
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FAAB: ARC Training Centre for Facilitated Advancement of Australia's Bioactives (FAAB)
Rodger, A., Sunna, A., Garcia-Bennett, A., Guillemin, G., Packer, N., Thaysen-Andersen, M., Cain, A., Connor, M., Haynes, P., Paulsen, I., Ponton, F., Tetu, S., Wang, Y., Adcock, J., Callahan, D., Walsh, T. R., Joyce, P., Prestidge, C. A., Reddy, N., Ashton, J., Ball, M., Bucca, D., de Silva, T., Ferguson, K., Gilbert, A., Gilbert, E., Hayes, E., Mazumder, D., Morrison, J., Petrie, J., Pollard, N., Ruff, N., Stockham, K., Winberg, P. & De Simone, A.
21/02/22 → 20/02/27
Project: Research
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Genetic factors influencing biocontrol bacteria colonisation of plant surfaces
Paulsen, I., Fabian, B. & Tetu, S.
1/04/17 → …
Project: Research
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MQSIS High-throughput Flow Cytometer
Paulsen, I., Tetu, S., Packer, N., Haynes, P., Anwer, A., Gillings, M., Armand, L., Ostrowski, M., Sunna, A. & Hose, G.
1/01/17 → …
Project: Research
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Prebiotic biostimulation for enhanced soil microbial activity and growth of diverse native grasses
Alfonzetti, M., Russell, D., Gallagher, R. V. & Tetu, S. G., 19 May 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Restoration Ecology. 12 p., e70094.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Seed banking impacts native Acacia ulicifolia seed microbiome composition and function
Russell, D., Rajabal, V., Alfonzetti, M., van der Merwe, M. M., Gallagher, R. V. & Tetu, S. G., 13 Jan 2025, In: Environmental Microbiome. 20, 1, p. 1-16 16 p., 4.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Downloads (Pure) -
An integrated undergraduate laboratory exercise to demonstrate microbial evolution: petite mutants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Qi, Q., Stacey, J., Wright, N., Tetu, S. & Gillings, M., 1 Feb 2024, In: American Biology Teacher. 86, 2, p. 101-107 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile68 Downloads (Pure) -
Dissecting molecular evolution of class 1 integron gene cassettes and identifying their bacterial hosts in suburban creeks via epicPCR
Qi, Q., Ghaly, T. M., Rajabal, V., Gillings, M. R. & Tetu, S. G., Jan 2024, In: Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 79, 1, p. 100-111 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Citations (Scopus)15 Downloads (Pure) -
Exploring the role of mobile genetic elements in shaping plant–bacterial interactions for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem health
Rajabal, V., Ghaly, T. M., Egidi, E., Ke, M., Penesyan, A., Qi, Q., Gillings, M. R. & Tetu, S. G., Mar 2024, In: Plants People Planet. 6, 2, p. 408-420 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Citations (Scopus)99 Downloads (Pure)