 
Microbiology
Today August 2001
Micro-organisms are amazingly diverse. Some types are like green plants
and they can use the energy
from light to make simple compounds, thus playing a vital part in food
chains and Earth's life cycles.
These phototrophs require pigment to carry out the biochemical
process and so, unlike most
microbes which are colourless, they are visible when present in large
numbers. In this issue of
Microbiology Today we focus on these highly photogenic and varied
organisms.
Phototrophic microbes were discovered about a hundred years ago. Sam
Kaplan (University of Texas)
looks back on the pioneering studies on phototroph physiology and
biochemistry and looks at our present
state of knowledge of microbial photosynthetic systems and ecology. Modern
molecular biology techniques
have led to great advances and now, as we move into the era of genomics,
he considers the potential for
research in years to come.
Large populations of purple and green sulfur bacteria exist in
lakes and marine environments
worldwide. The diversity and ecology of these anaerobic photosynthetic
microbes are described by Jorge
Overmann (University of Munich), with many new species now being
discovered by 16S rRNA sequencing which
cannot be cultured in the lab by conventional methods. He also covers the
latest researches into the
photosynthetic process of these bacteria and discusses model systems for
symbiosis research.
How do purple photosynthetic bacteria harvest light? Richard Cogdell
and Alistair Gardiner
(University of Glasgow) reveal the complexities of this process.
Cyanobacteria are aerobic photosynthetic bacteria, which seem to have
been one of the earliest forms
of microbes in the history of Earth, with a fossil record going back 3.5
billion years. They played a
vital role in the formation of life on our planet and today are still
major players in our ecosystems.
Dave Scanlan (University of Warwick) describes their diversity shows how
some of them, including 'the
most abundant photosynthetic organism on Earth', are responsible for
keeping global carbon cycles
turning.
David Adams (University of Leeds) also focuses on cyanobacteria, but he
is fascinated by how they
move. The mechanisms of the gliding process are now becoming better
understood.
Lichens are an amazing example of symbiosis. The complexities of this
partnership between algae and
fungi is described by David Hill (University of Bristol), who also shows
how lichens have an important
function as indicators of environmental pollution. It may well be possible
to exploit this as a tool in
the fight to help the human race survive the next century on Earth.
Down Under, Australian researchers are learning how to harness the
natural defence mechanisms of
seaweed against harmful bacteria in the fight against marine fouling of
ships and other underwater
surfaces. This fascinating research by Staffan Kjelleberg and Peter
Steinberg (University of New South
Wales) is part of an on-going investigation into biofilm inhibition.
Moving away from phototrophs, but not from seaweed, Philip Mortimer
(Colindale) takes a look back
into the days of the early microbiologists and shows how an algal
by-product - agar - came into use in
the culturing of bacteria.
On a different subject altogether, Peter Wyn-Jones looks at the
benefits of a career in
microbiology and Jane Westwell summarizes some of the recent
career-related activities SGM has been
involved in.
Hot off the Press
 [Acrobat PDF] highlights some new developments in
microbiological research published in the Society's journals -
Microbiology, Journal of
General Virology and International Journal of Systematic and
Evolutionary Microbiology.
Topics covered include:
- Answer to a wee problem - gene cluster involved in oil
degradation
- Enter the cell - insight into the dengue virus cell entry
mechanism
- Blunting the chopper - producing growth-restricted dengue
virus
- Fussy guests - co-evolution of bacteria and hosts
- Letting go of the apron strings - control of daughter cell
budding in yeast
- Cracking the Whipple - Whipple's disease bacterium finally
identified
Other items include:
Last updated 29 May 2003
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