Sunday, July 30, 2006

Technology Topic Area Index

Microbe Pundit is developing a series of posts that relate to technology topics in a course on Microbial Biotechnology. This index page provides access to these posts, grouped under the technology topic units in this course.

Microbial Biotechnology
Natural product discovery
  1. How to find microbes that make gold.
  2. Siderophore compounds from Streptomycetes.
  3. Why do Streptomyces produce so many different compounds?
  4. Where Avermectin comes from.
  5. Assays for compounds that make existing antibiotics effective against antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Fundamentals of cell culture and nutrition
  1. ...
Process Scale-Up and Intensification
  1. Using dyes and flow cytometry to assess membrane voltages (PMF), stress and cell viability - useful for scale up research on bacterial fermentations.
Conversion of material using metabolism, improvement of processes
  1. Process improvement in the antibiotic industry.
  2. Technological learning curves in the ethanol biofuel industry.
Biotech business innovation
  1. Technological learning curves in the ethanol biofuel industry.
  2. Process improvement in the antibiotic industry.
Enzyme technology
  1. ...
Environmental technology
  1. Using microbes to mine copper.

Bacterial Cell Biology.

The following set of links relates to Microbe Pundit posts connected to a course on Bacterial Cell Biology.

The course is closely based on a book Microbe, by Moselio Schaecher and colleagues 2006 which has a rich and modern set of teaching resources, including a useful book website.

The Pundit has organised the bacterial cell biology topics and links below around the chapter headings in Microbe, and also included links to additional material provided at the book's website within this framework.


Bacterial Cell Biology.

Microbe
Author: Moselio Schaechter, San Diego State University and University of California, San Diego; John L. Ingraham, University of California, Davis; Frederick C. Neidhardt, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2006 ASM Press.
Book ISBN or Item Number: 1-55581-320-8


Section I. Microbial Activity

1. The World of Microbes

Microbe. The World of Microbes. (Microbe Pundit)
The World of Microbes . Question 2.
Schaechter 2006 Chapter 1 Additional material on The World of Microbes

Section II. Structure and Function

2. Prokaryotic Cell Structure and Function: Envelopes and Appendages
Prokaryotic cell envelopes and appendages.
Proposal for how the TolC channel passes through murein layer.

How a bacterial transport protein works. An ABC-transporter structure is elucidated.

Protection of the cell membrane.

Operation and assembly of the bacterial flagellum
.

Schaechter 2006 Chapter 2 Additional material on Prokaryotic Cell Structure and Function: Envelopes and Appendages


3. Prokaryotic Cell Structure and Function: the Cell Interior

The Bacterial Cell Interior.

Schaechter 2006 Chapter 3 Additional material on Prokaryotic Cell Structure and Function: the Cell Interior

Using Atomic Force Microscopy.


Section III. Growth

4. Growth of Microbial Populations

Schaechter 2006 Chapter 4 Additional material on Growth of Microbial Populations


5. Making a Cell

Making a cell.

Making a cell Part 2.

Schaechter 2006 Chapter 5 Additional material on Making a Cell


6. Fueling

Flow cytometry of cells stained with voltage sensitive dyes can reveal whether the PMF is active.

7. Biosynthesis

Biosynthesis Stage of Growth Metabolism.

Ammonia assimilation is an important part of the biosynthesis stage of growth metabolism.

Encyclopedia of Escherichia coli K-12 Genes and Metabolism


8. Building Macromolecules

Replication mechanisms of the bacterial chromosome.


9. The Cell Division Cycle

Using flow cytometry to study the bacterial cell cycle.

Schaechter 2006 Chapter 9 Additional material on The Cell Division Cycle


Section IV. Inheritance

10. Genetics

Schaechter 2006 Chapter 10 Additional material on Genetics.

11. Evolution

Schaechter 2006 Chapter 11 Additional material on Evolution.


Section V. Physiology

12. Coordination and Regulation

13. Succeeding in the Environment

Schaechter 2006 Chapter 13 Additional material on Succeeding in the Environment.

14. Differentiation and Development



Written assignment related posts:
(Relating to essays set on either cell division, differentiation or secretion.)

The best way to find information about bacteria is through effective use of both publication and gene databases.

Discussion thread on Cell Division in Bacillus and Caulobacter.

A signal from the spore cell facilitates the expression of late genes in the mother cell of Bacillus subtilis during sporulation.

Discussion thread on compound secretion by Pseudomonas.

Quorum Sensing in the pathogenicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Signals - Red, Amber, and Green.

Why do Streptomycetes have ability to produce so many specialised molecules
?

Synergistic Substances and Several Siderophores Synthesised by Sessile Soil Saphrophytes.

Discussion thread on molecules secreted by Streptomyces.


Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Microbial Biotechnology.