Applied Microbiology: Open Access
Open Access

Department of Biotechnology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Biography

Dr. Gurja Belay is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbial, Cellular, and Molecular Biology at the College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University (AAU), Ethiopia. He has been a faculty member at AAU since 1988 and was promoted to full professorship in October 2022. Ethiopian Monitor Education and Academic Background: Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.): Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, 1988 Master of Science (M.Sc.): Kyoto University, Japan, 1995 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.): Kyoto University, Japan, 1998 Research Interests: Dr. Belay's research focuses on molecular genetics, population genetics, and evolutionary biology. He has conducted extensive studies on the genetic adaptation of human populations to high-altitude environments in Ethiopia.

Publications

• Review Article   
  Genetic Diversity in Escherichia coli
  Author(s): Benyam Zenebe*, Tesfaye Sisay and Gurja Belay
  
  E. coli are genetically diverse bacteria which can live in different habitats. The E. coli genome has two components: The core genome which contains essential genes and is shared among all strains of the species; and the accessory genome which is highly variable among strains encompassing many mobile genetic elements. Despite the extensive dynamics in the genomic content over evolutionary period, the genome size of E. coli seems to have been conserved due to processes of continuous gene gain and gene loss. Mobile genetic elements give strains of E. coli better adaptability to different environments such as the ability to resist antibiotics and to escape immune responses and establish infection in various hosts. Mobile genetic elements have been detected in both commensal and pathogenic strains. Horizontal gene transfer in the fo.. View More»
  DOI: 10.35248/2471-9315.24.10.311

  Abstract HTML PDF

Other relevant publications from this author

• https://www.aau.edu.et/cns/department-of-microbial-cellular-and-molecularbiology/staffs-of-mcm/dr-gurja-belay/

  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167701211001260

  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2007.00789.x

  https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=Genetic+Adaptation+to+High+Altitude+in+the+Ethiopian+Highlands