Advances in Applied Microbiology (eBook)

Cover 1
Contents 6
Chapter 1. Biodegradation of Organic Pollutants in the Rhizosphere 10
I. Introduction 10
II. The Rhizosphere Environment and Microbial Ecology 11
III. Fate of Organic Pollutants in the Rhizosphere 16
IV. Mechanisms of Enhanced Biodegradation 31
V. Specific and Nonspecific Interactions between Plant and Microbe 43
VI. Stimulating and Initiating Rhizosphere Activity 46
VII. Conclusions 52
VIII. Glossary of Latin Plant Names 55
References 56
Chapter 2. Anaerobic Dehalogenation of Organohalide Contaminants in the Marine Environment 70
I. Introduction„The Halogen Cycle 70
II. Microbial Transformation of Organohalides and the Influence of Electron Donors and Alternate Electron Acceptors 72
III. Molecular and Biochemical Characterization of Dehalogenating Consortia in Marine Environments 78
IV. Detection of Putative Reductive Dehalogenase-Encoding Genes in Dehalogenating Consortia and Marine Sediments 80
V. Dehalogenation by Anaerobic Bacteria in Marine Sponges„Natural Sources of Dehalogenating Bacteria 82
VI. In Situ Enhancement of Anaerobic Microbial Dechlorination of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans in Marine and Estuarine Sediments 84
VII. Summary 87
References 87
Chapter 3. Biotechnological Application of Metal-Reducing Microorganisms 94
I. Introduction 94
II. Fe(III) and Mn(IV) Reduction 95
III. Reduction of Other Transition Metals 101
IV. Reduction of Metalloids 117
V. Reduction and Bioremediation of Actinides and Fission Products 121
VI. Future Directions 127
References 128
Chapter 4. Determinants of Freeze Tolerance in Microorganisms, Physiological Importance, and Biotechnological Applications 138
I. Introduction 138
II. Freeze–Thaw Events 140
III. Freeze–Thaw Injury 143
IV. Microbial Freeze-Tolerance Mechanisms 145
V. Physiological Importance of Microbial Freeze-Tolerance Mechanisms 156
VI. Biotechnological Applications of Microbial Freeze-Tolerance Mechanisms and Freeze-Tolerant Microorganisms 158
VII. Concluding Remarks 169
References 170
Chapter 5. Fungal Osmotolerance 186
I. Introduction 186
II. Physiological Mechanisms of Osmotolerance 188
III. Control of Osmotic Responses at the Molecular Level 192
IV. Conclusions 208
References 213
Chapter 6. Mycotoxin Research in South Africa 222
I. South Africa„A Short Guide 222
II. Introduction to South African Mycotoxin Research 224
III. Mycotoxins and Agriculture in South Africa 229
IV. Chronic Disease 232
V. Conclusion on Currently Investigated Chronic Disease 241
References 241
Chapter 7. Electrophoretic Karyotype Analysis in Fungi 252
I. Introduction 252
II. Background 253
III. Techniques 254
IV. Chromosome Numbers and Size 265
V. Applications of PFGE 267
VI. Limitations of PFGE for Fungal Karyotype Analysis 269
VII. Summary 272
References 273
Chapter 8. Tissue Infection and Site-Specific Gene Expression in Candida albicans 280
I. Introduction 280
II. Secretory Lipases of C. albicans 282
III. Agglutinin-Like Proteins of C. albicans 284
IV. Secretory Proteinases of C. albicans 285
V. Why Gene Families (Part I)? 286
VI. Why Gene Families (Part II)? 291
VII. Genome-Wide Transcriptional Profiling 293
VIII. Summary 297
References 297
Chapter 9. LuxS and Autoinducer-2: Their Contribution to Quorum Sensing and Metabolism in Bacteria 300
I. Introduction 301
II. Overview of Bacterial Cell-to-Cell Communication 301
III. Biochemistry of AI-2 Formation 304
IV. The Structure of AI-2 307
V. LuxS: Crystal Structure and Enzymatic Properties 313
VI. The Metabolic Role of LuxS 320
VII. The Location of luxS and pfs in Bacterial Genomes 330
VIII. Regulation of luxS Expression and AI-2 Production 333
IX. Mechanisms of Bacterial Cell-to-Cell Communication 347
X. The Role of AI-2 in Interspecies Communication and Alternative Functions 386
References 391
Chapter 10. Microbiological Contributions to the Search of Extraterrestrial Life 406
I. Preface and Introduction 406
II. How Has Microbiology Contributed to a Definition of Extracellular Life? 421
III. Microbial Life in Extreme Environments 429
IV. Relevant Microbiological Activities, at NASA and Beyond 433
V. Microbiology and Planetary Protection 435
VI. Value of Exomicrobiological Research 438
VII. Conclusions and Recommendations 439
References 440
Index 446