Engineering signal transduction pathways in bacteria [Elektronische Ressource] / presented by Konstantinos Michalodimitrakis

Dissertation Submitted to the Combined Faculties for the Natural Sciences and for Mathematics Of the Ruperto-Carola University of Heidelberg, Germany for the degree of Doctor of Natural Sciences presented by Diplom: Konstantinos Michalodimitrakis Born in: Thessaloniki ENGINEERING SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION PATHWAYS IN BACTERIA Referees: Prof.Dr. Christine Clayton Prof. Dr. Peer Bork Ειs µνηµην του πατερα µου Ματθαιου Μιχαλοδηµητρακη In memory of my father Matthaios Michalodimitrakis Acknowledgements My father was a physicist with remarkable teaching abilities; although we were very young children, he managed to present to us in a very simple and intriguing way basic concepts of science. Thus science appeared to my eyes like a magic key, revealing the true nature of the world, which I had to have. Due to my father’s influence, I could never imagine myself away from science. Although advised by my father not to take everything for granted and to question all theories that I came across, I started my journey in the world of science having a very romantic and idealistic concept of how the world of science is. Unfortunately I started this journey alone, having lost my father in a car accident when I was only 13 years-old.