The methods included in Environmental Microbiology: Methods and Pro- cols can be placed in the categories Communities and Biofilms, Fermented Milks, Recovery and Determination of Nucleic Acids, and the review s- tion, containing chapters on the endophytic bacterium, Bacillus mojavensis, the engineering of bacteria to enhance their ability to carry out bioremediation of aromatic compounds, using the hemoglobin gene from a strain of Vitreoscilla 23 spp., and the use of chemical shift reagents and Na NMR to study sodium gradients in microorganisms, all of which should be of interest to investigators in these fields. The subjects treated within the different categories also cover a wide range, with methods ranging from those for the study of marine organisms, through those for the investigation of microorganisms occurring in ground waters, including subsurface ground waters, to other types of environmental waters, to as varied subjects as the biodiversity of yeasts found in northwest Argentina. The range of topics described in the Fermented Milks section is smaller, but significant for investigators in areas concerned with milk as an item of foods for infants, small children, and even adults.

Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Klappentext
Understanding the relationship between a microorganism and its environment is essential to the successful manipulation of industrial, biochemical, and medical processes. In Environmental Microbiology: Methods and Protocols, highly practiced experimentalists who often have perfected the methods they write about describe readily reproducible techniques for determining most of the important factors governing microorganisms and their habitats. Presented in step-by-step detail, these cutting-edge methods range from those for the study of marine organisms, to those for investigating microorganisms occurring in groundwater, to the biodiversity found in remote environments. The protocols for studying fermented milks are significant for investigators concerned with milk as an item of food for infants, small children, and even adults. Additional methods for the recovery and determination of nucleic acids and other compounds affecting, and affected by, microorganisms, are provided for certain enzymes produced by plant pathogens and for obtaining microbial species tolerant of such inhibitors as heavy metals. Review articles discuss the endophytic bacterium Bacillus mojavensis, the engineering of bacteria to enhance their ability to carry out bioremediation of aromatic compounds, and the use of chemical shift reagents and Na-NMR to study sodium gradients in microorganisms. The protocols follow the successful Methods in Molecular Biology™ series format, each one offering step-by-step laboratory instructions, an introduction outlining the principle behind the technique, lists of equipment and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.
State-of-the-art and highly practical, Environmental Microbiology: Methods and Protocols offers microbiological researchers a powerful set of techniques for investigating and understanding microorganisms in their native environments.

Inhalt
Communities and Biofilms.- Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Seawater Bacteria.- Reverse Sample Genome Probing to Monitor Microbial Communities.- T-RFLP Analysis.- Assessing Bacterial DNA Content in Aquatic Systems.- Multiplexed Identification and Quantification of Analyte DNAs in Environmental Samples Using Microspheres and Flow Cytometry.- Molecular Characterization of Microbial Communities From Marine Environments.- Yeasts.- Aeromonads in Environmental Waters.- Development of a Vital Fluorescent Staining Method for Monitoring Bacterial Transport in Subsurface Ground Water.- Bench Scale Flow Cell for Nondestructive Imaging of Biofilms.- Fermented Milks.- ?-Galactosidase Assay in Fermented Soymilk Products.- Considerations to Avoid the Overestimation of Exopolysaccharides Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria.- Determination of Oligosaccharides in Fermented Soymilk Products by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography.- Evaluation of Minimal Nutritional Requirements of Lactic Acid Bacteria Used in Functional Foods.- Nuclei Acids, Recovery, and Determination.- A Simple Method for Obtaining DNA Suitable for RAPD Analysis From Azospirillum.- PCR Fingerprinting of rRNA Intergenic Spacer Regions for Molecular Characterization of Environmental Bacteria Isolates.- A DNA-DNA Hybridization Method for the Detection and Quantification of Specific Bacterial Taxa in Natural Environments.- 13C and 1H NMR Study of the Glycogen Futile Cycle in Fibrobacter succinogenes.- Chemical Analysis and Biological Removal of Wood Lipids Forming Pitch Deposits in Paper Pulp Manufacturing.- Propolis.- Enzymatic Saccharification of Cellulosic Materials.- Molecular Identification of Microbial Populations in Petroleum-Contaminated Groundwater.- Identification of Copper-Resistant Microorganisms byPCR.- Selection of Tolerant Heavy Metal Yeasts From Different Polluted Sites.- Medium for Differential Enumeration of Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus acidophilus From Lyophilized Mixed Cultures.- Silk as a Means of Recovering Bacteriocin From a Culture Medium.- Optimization of a Method for Isolating Plasmid DNA From Lactic Acid Bacteria From Wine.- Simultaneous and Sequential Methods to Study Interactions Between Yeast and Lactic Acid Bacteria From Wine.- Method for Determining Lindane Concentration in Water and Solid Samples.- Extracellular Hydrolytic Enzymes Produced by Yeasts.- Extracellular Hydrolytic Enzymes Produced by Phytopathogenic Fungi.- An Analysis of Microorganisms in Environments Using Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis.- Testing for Evolutionary Correlations in Microbiology Using Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares.- Conjugated Linoleic Acid Detection Produced by Dairy Starter Cultures.- Reviews.- Techniques for Manipulating the Bacterial Endophyte Bacillus mojavensis.- Engineering of Bacteria Using the Vitreoscilla Hemoglobin Gene to Enhance Bioremediation of Aromatic Compounds.- The Use of Chemical Shift Reagents and 23Na NMR to Study Sodium Gradients in Microorganisms.- Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) as a Fingerprinting Tool for Analyzing Microbial Communities in Contaminated Environments.