Microbial Megaplasmids

Microbial Megaplasmids
Author: Edward Schwartz
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2009-01-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3540854673

Megaplasmids are extrachromosomal genetic elements in the size range of 100 kb and larger. They are found in physiologically and phylogenetically diverse groups of bacteria and archaea. By definition, megaplasmids are not essential for the viability of their hosts under all growth conditions, but paradoxically many megaplasmids carry the genetic information for the defining and characteristic traits of the organism in which they reside. Microbial Megaplasmids reviews our knowledge of the extensively studied representatives, such as the catabolic plasmids of the pseudomonads, the rhizobial Sym plasmids, the Ti plasmids of the genus Agrobacterium and the giant enterobacterial virulence plasmids. It also presents snapshots of more recently discovered megaplasmids. The contribution of megaplasmids to the biology of their hosts is described, highlighting the interactions between megaplasmid and chromosomal genes.

Microbe Mediated Remediation of Environmental Contaminants

Microbe Mediated Remediation of Environmental Contaminants
Author: Ajay Kumar
Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
Total Pages: 475
Release: 2020-10-14
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0128232072

Microbe Mediated Remediation of Environmental Contaminants presents recent scientific progress in applying microbes for environmental management. The book explores the current existing practical applications and provides information to help readers develop new practices and applications. Edited by recognized leaders in the field, this penetrating assessment of our progress to date in deploying microorganisms to the advantage of environmental management and biotechnology will be widely welcomed by those working in soil contamination management, agriculture, environment management, soil microbiology, and waste management. The polluting effects on the world around us of soil erosion, the unwanted migration of sediments, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and the improper treatment of human and animal wastes have resulted in serious environmental and social problems around the world, problems which require us to look for solutions elsewhere than established physical and chemical technologies. Often the answer lies in hybrid applications in which microbial methods are combined with physical and chemical ones. When we remember that these highly effective microorganisms, cultured for a variety of applications, are but a tiny fraction of those to be found in the world around us, we realize the vastness of the untapped and beneficial potential of microorganisms. - Explores microbial application redressing for soil and water contamination challenges - Includes information on microbial synthesized nanomaterials for remediation of contaminated soils - Presents a uniquely hybrid approach, combining microbial interactions with other chemical and physical methods

Biodegradative Bacteria

Biodegradative Bacteria
Author: Hideaki Nojiri
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2013-11-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 4431545204

Biodegradative Bacteria highlights the novel nature of bacterial cell functions in the field of biodegradation by putting them into three parts: (1) Genetic and genomic systems, (2) Degradative enzyme systems, and (3) Bacterial behavior in natural environmental systems. The first part of the book includes cell functions as degradative machinery, genome systems for effective degradation, and the evolution of degradative systems by mobile genetic elements. The second part deals with the structure, function, evolution, diversity, and application of degradative and related enzymes. The third part presents cell or genomic behaviors of biodegradative bacteria in natural ecosystems. Bacterial metabolic capacity, which plays an important role in the global material cycle, contributes significantly to the buffering capacity for the huge and unintended release of various chemicals. Recently, however, the prosperity and globalization of material civilization has led not only to severe local contamination by hazardous chemicals, but also to continuous increment of contaminant concentrations worldwide. To solve such urgent global issues, bacterial functions that are involved in biodegradation of hazardous chemicals have been analyzed. The term “biodegradative bacteria” refers to those bacteria that have the ability to degrade such xenobiotic (man-made) and/or hazardous chemicals. Analyses of biodegradative bacteria include diverse areas of study, such as genetics, enzymology, genomics, cell physiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. In other words, the targets investigated in research on biodegradative bacteria include single molecules, single cell systems, bacterial consortia (interaction with surrounding microorganisms), and interaction with surrounding biotic and abiotic materials. Such complexity makes the research on biodegradative bacteria difficult but quite interesting.

Microbial Applications Vol.1

Microbial Applications Vol.1
Author: Vipin Chandra Kalia
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2017-04-04
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319526669

This contributed volume sheds new light on waste management and the production of biofuels. The authors share insights into microbial applications to meet the challenges of environmental pollution and the ever- growing need for renewable energy. They also explain how healthy and balanced ecosystems can be created and maintained using strategies ranging from oil biodegration and detoxification of azo dyes to biofouling. In addition, the book illustrates how the metabolic abilities of microorganisms can be used in microbial fuel-cell technologies or for the production of biohydrogen. It inspires young researchers and experienced scientists in the field of microbiology to explore the application of green biotechnology for bioremediation and the production of energy, which will be one of the central topics for future generations.

Stress Challenges and Immunity in Space

Stress Challenges and Immunity in Space
Author: Alexander Chouker
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 462
Release: 2011-12-20
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3642222722

Stress of either psychological or physical nature can activate and/or paralyse humans’ innate and adaptive immunity. However, adequate immunity is crucial to the maintenance of health on earth and in space. During space flight, human physiology and health are challenged by complex environmental stressors which might be at their most pronounced during lunar or interplanetary missions. While previous publications have addressed the physiological changes that occur during space flight, this book goes further, by adopting an interdisciplinary approach to analyze the complex interaction of living conditions in space, the immune system, and astronauts’ health. It is explained how such analysis of the consequences of stress for the immune system may help in preventing, diagnosing, and counteracting immune-related alterations in health on earth as well as in space

DNA Replication Origins in Microbial Genomes, Volume 2

DNA Replication Origins in Microbial Genomes, Volume 2
Author: Feng Gao
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2019-12-23
Genre:
ISBN: 2889632458

As guest editor, Prof. Gao has organized the Research Topic “DNA Replication Origins in Microbial Genomes” for Frontiers in Microbiology. Gratifyingly, the papers published in this Research Topic were highly accessed, and well-received by a wide international audience. Given its previous success, we decided to revisit this Research Topic with a second volume. We are pleased that this topic remains one of keen interest, and also surprised by the diversity of the manuscripts submitted for the second volume. The field is certainly moving in interesting new directions. We hope that readers find these articles both informative and entertaining, and we look forward to an exciting future for replication origin research.

Microbial Diversity in the Genomic Era

Microbial Diversity in the Genomic Era
Author: Surajit Das
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 715
Release: 2018-09-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0128148500

Microbial Diversity in the Genomic Era presents insights on the techniques used for microbial taxonomy and phylogeny, along with their applications and respective pros and cons. Though many advanced techniques for the identification of any unknown bacterium are available in the genomics era, a far fewer number of the total microbial species have been discovered and identified to date. The assessment of microbial taxonomy and biosystematics techniques discovered and practiced in the current genomics era with suitable recommendations is the prime focus of this book. - Discusses the techniques used for microbial taxonomy and phylogeny with their applications and respective pros and cons - Reviews the evolving field of bacterial typing and the genomic technologies that enable comparative analysis of multiple genomes and the metagenomes of complex microbial environments - Provides a uniform, standard methodology for species designation

Structure and Function of the Bacterial Genome

Structure and Function of the Bacterial Genome
Author: Charles J. Dorman
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 437
Release: 2020-04-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1119308798

Presents an integrated view of the expression of bacterial genetic information, genome architecture and function, and bacterial physiology and pathogenesis This book blends information from the very latest research on bacterial chromosome and nucleoid architecture, whole-genome analysis, cell signaling, and gene expression control with well-known gene regulation paradigms from model organisms (including pathogens) to give readers a picture of how information flows from the environment to the gene, modulating its expression and influencing the competitive fitness of the microbe. Structure and Function of the Bacterial Genome explores the governance of the expression of the genes that make a bacterium what it is, and updates the basics of gene expression control with information about transcription promoter structure and function, the role of DNA as a regulatory factor (in addition to its role as a carrier of genetic information), small RNAs, RNAs that sense chemical signals, ribosomes and translation, posttranslational modification of proteins, and protein secretion. It looks at the forces driving the conservation and the evolution of the dynamic genome and offers chapters that cover DNA replication, DNA repair, plasmid biology, recombination, transposition, the roles of repetitive DNA sequences, horizontal gene transfer, the defense of the genome by CRISPR-Cas, restriction enzymes, Argonaute proteins and BREX systems. The book finishes with a chapter that gives an integrated overview of genome structure and function. Blends knowledge of gene regulatory mechanisms with a consideration of nucleoid structure and dynamics Offers a 'DNA-centric' approach to considering transcription control Views horizontal gene transfer from a gene regulation perspective Assesses the opportunities and limitations of designing synthetic microbes or rewiring existing ones Structure and Function of the Bacterial Genome is an ideal book for graduate and undergraduate students studying microbial cell biology, bacterial pathogenesis, gene regulation, and molecular microbiology. It will also appeal to principal investigators conducting research on these and related topics and researchers in synthetic biology and other arms of biotechnology.

Genomics of Bacterial Metal Resistance

Genomics of Bacterial Metal Resistance
Author: Alessio Mengoni
Publisher: MDPI
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2021-03-03
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3036503900

The importance of understanding metal–microbe interactions underlies a number of social–economic issues in the world. The antimicrobial resistance era has created a need for novel antimicrobials and within this fieldm metal and metalloid ions are promising solutions. Pollution sites, either co-contaminated with metals or with metals as the sole pollutant, contain microbes that are present as key participants, with both of these issues habing links to agriculture. Microbes also play key roles in the global geochemical cycle of many elements. Such statements solidify the need to understand metal–microbe interactions. Given that genomics has arguably become the most useful tool in biology, the application of this technology within the field of understanding metal resistance comes as no surprise. Whilst by no means comprehensive, this book provides examples of the applications of genomic approaches in the study of metal–microbe interactions. Here, we present a collection of manuscripts that highlights some present directions in the field. The book starts with a collection of three papers evaluating aspects of the genomics of the archetype metal resistant bacteria, Cuprividus metallidurans. This is followed by four studies that evaluate the mechanisms of metal resistance. The next two papers assess metal resistance in agricultural related situations, including a review on metal resistance in Listeria. The book concludes with a review on metal phytoremediation via Rhizobia and two subsequent studies of metal biotechnology relevance.

Metal Response in Cupriavidus metallidurans

Metal Response in Cupriavidus metallidurans
Author: Max Mergeay
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 97
Release: 2015-07-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319205943

This book is the first volume of a two-volume set summarizing 40 years of key research findings directly related to metal-resistant Cupriavidus/Ralstonia (Betaproteobacteria). In this first volume, the historical and geographical context of these bacteria, which are mostly found in industrial and polluted environments linked to zinc and other non-ferrous metallurgy, is sketched to illustrate the interactions between bacteria and human activities and the possible evolutionary consequences on bacterial genomes especially as far as the association of metal resistance genes with mobile genetic elements is concerned. A detailed description of the response and underlying genetic determinants of type strain Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 to a variety of metals is provided. With high level resistance to cadmium, chromate, cobalt, copper, mercury, nickel, lead and zinc mediated by well-known genes for detoxification carried by its megaplasmids pMOL28 and pMOL30. This description is complemented with the genomic context of the metal response genes in C. metallidurans CH34 with a focus on its mobilome including insertion sequence elements, transposons, integrative and conjugative elements and genomic islands. In addition, in the second volume, structural and catalytic data from bacterial primary and secondary transporters (P-ATPases, tripartite chemiosmotic cation/proton efflux systems, cation diffusion facilitators, Major Facilitator Superfamily and some minor categories) are outlined and detailed for the corresponding C. metallidurans proteins. The available three-dimensional structures of C. metallidurans proteins are reviewed in detail, including RND and membrane fusion proteins (from tripartite chemiosmotic cation/proton efflux systems), sigma and anti-sigma regulatory proteins of the cnr efflux system (resistance to cobalt and nickel) and various periplasmic proteins mainly involved in the response to copper and mercury.