SINCE THE EARLY DAYS OF MICROBIOLOGY IT HAS BEEN KNOWN THAT, during their life cycles, microorganisms exhibit developmental changes in common with other organisms. In the last decade interest in this aspect of microbiology has developed greatly, and research findings have provided an understanding of the genetic, molecular and biochemical bases of development. An important stimulus in this research has been the realis­ ation that microbial development, in its various forms, provides interest­ ing model systems that have relevance to a much wider understanding of the developmental processes in higher eukaryotes. Many undergraduate and other courses in microbiology reflect these developments. Up to now, the only source material for these courses has been symposia publications, or books of a more specialised nature and at an advanced level. The aim in writing this book, which is based on a series of undergraduate lectures given at the University of Nottingham, was to bring together the relevant aspects of the biology of microorganisms, in particular the bacteria and fungi. The algae and protozoa have been excluded, partly because of the limits of space and partly because they are very different from the bacteria and fungi in most aspects of their biology.

Inhalt

1. Growth of Bacteria.- Morphology of the bacterial cell.- Ultrastructure of the bacterial cell.- The bacterial cell cycle.- Environmental control of cell shape.- Cell dimorphism in Caulobacter.- Summary.- 2. Growth of Yeasts.- Cell morphology.- Ultrastructure.- Cell growth and division in budding yeasts.- Cell growth and division in fission yeasts.- DNA synthesis during the yeast cell cycle.- Macromolecule synthesis.- Synthesis of cell wall polymers.- Co-ordination of growth and cell division.- Summary.- 3. Vegetative Growth of Filamentous Fungi.- Hyphal cytology.- Hyphal ultrastructure.- Biosynthesis of cell wall polymers.- Hyphal growth and the duplication cycle.- Hyphal branching.- Dimorphism.- Summary.- 4. Replication of Viruses.- Virus organisation and architecture.- Virus replication.- Lysogeny.- Summary.- 5. Spore Formation in Bacteria.- Endospore development.- Cyst formation in Azotobacter.- Myxospore formation.- Actinomycete spores.- Summary.- 6. Development in Slime Moulds.- Development in the Myxomycete Physarum polycephalum.- Development in the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum.- Summary.- 7. Asexual Reproduction in Fungi.- Types of asexual spore.- Patterns of spore formation.- Environmental control of sporulation.- Biochemical changes associated with asexual sporulation.- Genetic control of asexual sporulation.- Summary.- 8. Sexual reproduction in Fungi.- Morphology of sexual reproduction.- Sexual spores, the products of sexual reproduction.- Sexual compatibility.- Physiology of sexual reproduction.- Biochemical events associated with sexual development.- Genetic control of sexual development.- Summary.- 9. Spore Germination.- Dormancy.- Germination of bacterial endospores.- Germination of actinomycete spores.- Germination of fungal spores.- Modifications to the normal pattern of spore development.- Summary.- Further Reading.