This book focuses on the diversity of yeasts in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, including the association of yeasts with insects, invertebrate and vertebrate animals. It offers an overview of the knowledge accumulated in the course of more than 60 years of research and is closely connected with the volume Yeasts in Natural Ecosystems: Ecology by the same editors. In view of the rapid decline of many natural habitats due to anthropogenic activities and climate change, the need to study biodiversity is pressing. Rising temperatures threaten species inhabiting cold and aquatic environments, and species in terrestrial ecosystems are endangered by habitat fragmentation or loss. Most of our knowledge of intrinsic properties (autoecology) of yeasts reported throughout this book is derived from laboratory experiments with pure cultures. Accordingly, the importance of culture collections for ecological studies is highlighted by presenting an overview of worldwide available yeast strains and their origins. All of the chapters were written by leading international yeast research experts, and will appeal to researchers and advanced students in the field of microbial diversity.

This book covers the latest development in the biotechnological application of extremophiles. Along with this the impact of climate change and environmental pollution on loss of diversity of extremophiles is also discussed. This is crucial as the loss of this diversity is related with the loss of many bioactive compounds and bacteria of ecological importance. This volume outlines applications of extremophiles in biotechnology, nanotechnology, and bioremediation.

Microbial infections still represent one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Irrational usage of antimicrobials has lead to increased resistance, causing clinical, social and economical disabilities. Therefore, one of the major challenges of scientists is to develop novel alternative methods to handle infections and reduce resistance and other side effects produced by the actual therapies. The aim of this book is to offer a perspective on novel approaches to handle infections by using naturally-derived products in order to modulate the virulence of pathogens, without the risk of developing resistance. We intend to highlight the utility of microbial, vegetal and animal-derived compounds with potential antimicrobial activity by exploiting their effect on microbial virulence. Furthermore, this book aims to reveal the potential to assimilate recent bio-technological findings, like the usage of nanotechnology as efficient shuttles for stabilizing, improved targeting and the controlled release of natural products in order to efficiently fight infections.

This book presents the latest results related to photocatalytic inactivation/killing of microorganisms, which is a promising alternative disinfection method that produces less or even no disinfection byproduct. The book is divided into 13 chapters, which introduce readers to the latest developments in the photocatalytic disinfection of microorganisms, examine essential photocatalytic (PC) and photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) disinfection studies, and forecast and make recommendations for the further development of PC and PEC disinfection. Bringing together contributions by various leading research groups worldwide, it offers a valuable resource for researchers and the industry alike, as well as the general public. Taicheng An, PhD, is Chair Professor and Director at the Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China. Huijun Zhao, PhD, is Chair Professor and Director at the Centre for Clean Environment and Energy & Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Australia. Po Keung Wong, PhD, is a Professor at the School of Life Sciences, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.

This detailed volume provides a toolbox for designing constructs, tackling expression and solubility issues, handling membrane proteins and protein complexes, and exploring innovative engineering of E. coli. The topics are largely grouped under four parts: high-throughput cloning, expression screening, and optimization of expression conditions, protein production and solubility enhancement, case studies to produce challenging proteins and specific protein families, as well as applications of E. coli expression. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Heterologous Gene Expression in E. coli: Methods and Protocols serves molecular biologists, biochemists and structural biologists, those in the beginning of their research careers to those in their prime, to give both an historical and modern overview of the methods available to express their genes of interest in this exceptional organism.

This book covers the applications of fungi used in biorefinery technology. As a great many different varieties of fungal species are available, the text focuses on the various applications of fungi for production of useful products including organic acids (lactic, citric, fumaric); hydrolytic enzymes (amylase, cellulases, xylanases, ligninases, lipases, pectinases, proteases); advanced biofuels (ethanol, single cell oils); polyols (xylitol); single cell protein (animal feed); secondary metabolites; and much more.

This Volume presents methods for analysing and quantifying petroleum, hydrocarbons and lipids, based on their chemical and physical properties as well as their biological effects. It features protocols for extracting hydrocarbons from solid matrices, water and air, and a dedicated chapter focusing on volatile organic compounds. Several approaches for separating and detecting diverse classes of hydrocarbons and lipids are described, including: (tandem) gas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) or flame-ionisation detection, Fourier-transform induction-coupled-resonance MS, and fluorescence-based techniques. The book details high-performance liquid chromatography MS for microbial lipids, as well as a combination of techniques for naphthenic acids. Two chapters focus on quantifying bioavailable hydrocarbon fractions by using cyclodextrin sorbents and bacterial bioreporters, respectively, while a closing chapter explains how compound-specific stable-isotope analysis can be used to measure the fate of hydrocarbons in the environment. Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology Protocols There are tens of thousands of structurally different hydrocarbons, hydrocarbon derivatives and lipids, and a wide array of these molecules are required for cells to function. The global hydrocarbon cycle, which is largely driven by microorganisms, has a major impact on our environment and climate. Microbes are responsible for cleaning up the environmental pollution caused by the exploitation of hydrocarbon reservoirs and will also be pivotal in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels by providing biofuels, plastics and industrial chemicals. Gaining an understanding of the relevant functions of the wide range of microbes that produce, consume and modify hydrocarbons and related compounds will be key to responding to these challenges. This comprehensive collection of current and emerging protocols will facilitate acquisition of this understanding and exploitation of useful activities of such microbes.

Fungal nanobiotechnology has emerged as one of the key technologies, and an eco-friendly, as a source of food and harnessed to ferment and preserve foods and beverages, as well as applications in human health (antibiotics, anti-cholesterol statins, and immunosuppressive agents), while industry has used fungi for large-scale production of enzymes, acids, biosurfactants, and to manage fungal disease in crops and pest control. With the harnessing of nanotechnology, fungi have grown increasingly important by providing a greener alternative to chemically synthesized nanoparticles.

This book summarizes current advances in our understanding of how infectious disease represents an ecological interaction between a pathogenic microorganism and the host species in which that microbe causes illness. The contributing authors explain that pathogenic microorganisms often also have broader ecological connections, which can include a natural environmental presence; possible transmission by vehicles such as air, water, and food; and interactions with other host species, including vectors for which the microbe either may or may not be pathogenic. This field of science has been dubbed disease ecology, and the chapters that examine it have been grouped into three sections. The first section introduces both the role of biological community interactions and the impact of biodiversity on infectious disease. In turn, the second section considers those diseases directly affecting humans, with a focus on waterborne and foodborne illnesses, while also examining the critical aspect of microbial biofilms. Lastly, the third section presents the ecology of infectious diseases from the perspective of their impact on mammalian livestock and wildlife as well as on humans. Given its breadth of coverage, the volume offers a valuable resource for microbial ecologists and biomedical scientists alike.

This book aims at providing a brief but broad overview of biosignatures. The topics addressed range from prebiotic signatures in extraterrestrial materials to the signatures characterising extant life as well as fossilised life, biosignatures related to space, and space flight instrumentation to detect biosignatures either in situ or from orbit. The book ends with philosophical reflections on the implications of life elsewhere. In the 15 chapters written by an interdisciplinary team of experts, it provides both detailed explanations on the nature of biosignatures as well as useful case studies showing how they are used and identified in ancient rocks, for example. One case study addresses the controversial finding of traces of fossil life in a meteorite from Mars. The book will be of interest not only to astrobiologists but also to terrestrial paleontologists as well as any reader interested in the prospects of finding a second example of life on another planet.

Bioremediation refers to the clean-up of pollution in soil, groundwater, surface water, and air using typically microbiological processes. It uses naturally occurring bacteria and fungi or plants to degrade, transform or detoxify hazardous substances to human health or the environment. For bioremediation to be effective, microorganisms must enzymatically attack the pollutants and convert them to harmless products. As bioremediation can be effective only where environmental conditions permit microbial growth and action, its application often involves the management of ecological factors to allow microbial growth and degradation to continue at a faster rate. Like other technologies, bioremediation has its limitations. Some contaminants, such as chlorinated organic or high aromatic hydrocarbons, are resistant to microbial attack. They are degraded either gradually or not at all, hence, it is not easy to envisage the rates of clean-up for bioremediation implementation. Bioremediation represents a field of great expansion due to the important development of new technologies. Among them, several decades on metagenomics expansion has led to the detection of autochthonous microbiota that plays a key role during transformation. Transcriptomic guides us to know the expression of key genes and proteomics allow the characterization of proteins that conduct specific reactions. In this book we show specific technologies applied in bioremediation of main interest for research in the field, with special attention on fungi, which have been poorly studied microorganisms. Finally, new approaches in the field, such as CRISPR-CAS9, are also discussed. Lastly, it introduces management strategies, such as bioremediation application for managing affected environment and bioremediation approaches. Examples of successful bioremediation applications are illustrated in radionuclide entrapment and retardation, soil stabilization and remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, plastics or fluorinated compounds. Other emerging bioremediation methods include electro bioremediation, microbe-availed phytoremediation, genetic recombinant technologies in enhancing plants in accumulation of inorganic metals, and metalloids as well as degradation of organic pollutants, protein-metabolic engineering to increase bioremediation efficiency, including nanotechnology applications are also discussed.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of the microbiological fundamentals and biotechnological applications of methanotrophs: aerobic proteobacteria that can utilize methane as their sole carbon and energy source. It highlights methanotrophs' pivotal role in the global carbon cycle, in which they remove methane generated geothermally and by methanogens. Readers will learn how methanotrophs have been employed as biocatalysts for mitigating methane gas and remediating halogenated hydrocarbons in soil and underground water. Recently, methane has also attracted considerable attention as a potential next-generation carbon feedstock for industrial biotechnology, because of its abundance and low price. Methanotrophs can be used as biocatalysts for the production of fuels, chemicals and biomaterials including methanobactin from methane under environmentally benign production conditions. Sharing these and other cutting-edge insights, the book offers a fascinating read for all scientists and students of microbiology and biotechnology.

Imaging Bacterial Molecules, Structures and Cells, the latest volume in the Methods in Microbiology series, provides comprehensive, cutting-edge reviews of current and emerging technologies in the field of clinical microbiology. The book features a wide variety of state-of-the art methods and techniques for the diagnosis and management of microbial infections, with chapters authored by internationally renowned experts. This particular volume focuses on current techniques, such as MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy and molecular diagnostics, along with newly emerging technologies, such as host-based diagnostics and next generation sequencing.

The paddy field is a unique agro-ecosystem and provides services such as food, nutrient recycling and diverse habitats. However, chemical contamination of paddy soils has degraded the quality of this important ecosystem. This book provides an overview of our current understanding of paddy soil pollution, addressing topics such as the major types of pollutants in contaminated paddy soil ecosystems; factors affecting the fate of pollutants in paddy soil; biomonitoring approaches to assess the contaminated paddy soil; the impact of chemicals on soil microbial diversity; and climate change. It also covers arsenic and heavy metal pollution of paddy soils and their impact on rice quality. Further, new emerging contaminants such as antibiotics and antibiotics resistance genes (ARGs) in paddy soil and their impact on environmental health are also discussed. The last chapters focus on the bioremediation approaches for the management of paddy soils.

This book presents an up-to-date review of the ecology of yeast communities in natural ecosystems. It focuses on their biological interactions, including mutualism, parasitism, commensalism and antagonistic interactions, and is closely connected with the volume Yeasts in Natural Ecosystems: Diversity by the same editors. Yeasts are the smallest eukaryotic organisms successfully growing under a wide range of environmental conditions. They constantly modify the environment through their own metabolic activities. Although yeasts are among the earlier colonizers of nutrient-rich substrates, their role in ecosystem processes is not limited to the consumption and transformation of simple sugars. They also engage in close relationships with animals, plants and other fungi in the environment as mutualists, competitors, parasites and pathogens. This book reviews the diversity of biological interactions and roles of yeasts in ecosystems and summarises recent concepts and tools developed in community ecology. All of the chapters were written by leading international yeast research experts, and will appeal to researchers and advanced students in the field of microbial ecology.

This volume will be of interest to epidemiologists, food microbiologists, and anyone working on comparing bacterial isolates. Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis: Methods and Protocols guides readers through methods and protocols that will advance the harmonisation of PFGE methodologies and facilitate inter-laboratory comparisons of PFGE profiles from pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria. As a volume in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters contain introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Concise and easy-to-use, Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.

This volume describes the various applications of entomopathogenic soil microorganisms in the management and control of the devastating lepidopteran pest. An introduction describes the insecticidal properties of viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes and their metabolites, as well as their applications in the context of crop improvement. Subsequent chapters focus on topics such as insecticidal proteins; the role of nucleopolyhedroviruses; Bt toxins and their receptors; control of lepidopterans using entomopathogenic fungi; management of cotton defoliators; and sustainable use of entomopathogenic nematodes and their bacterial symbionts. An overview of culture collections of entomopathogenic microorganisms rounds out the volume.

Microorganisms are the most diverse group of organisms and play important and distinctive roles in their ecosystems. They interact with their peers and other organisms (e.g., plants, animals) to form a complicated food web, significantly impacting ecosystem functions and services. However, understanding the diversity, composition, structure, function, activity and dynamics of microbial communities remains challenging. Over the past decade, microarray-based technologies have been developed to address such challenges. Written by expert authors this book is focused on current microarray technologies and their applications in environmental microbiology. In the first chapter microarray technologies and applications are briefly introduced and in following chapters microarray probe design, development and evaluation, and data analysis are described in detail. In later chapters, more attention is paid to phylogenetic arrays (e.g., PhyloChip) and functional gene arrays (e.g., GeoChip). These generic tools for analyzing microbial communities from disparate environments, ecosystems, and habitats including soil, water, sediment, animals and humans, are described in detail with examples of specific applications. Also included are microarrays for analyzing microbial communities from specific environments, such as soil, bioleaching ecosystems, and human microbiomes, and microarrays for detecting specific microorganisms (e.g., pathogens) in the environment. The authors also discuss the advantages and limitations of microarray technologies compared to high throughput sequencing technologies. This book is a valuable and useful source of information about microarrays for microbial community analysis and is recommended for anyone working on microbial communities, biofilms or environmental microbiology.

This Volume describes methods for cultivating hydrocarbon-producing and -consuming microbes, covering compounds in a range of states - gaseous (e.g. methane), liquid (e.g. alkanes of intermediate molecular weight) and solid (e.g. many PAHs and asphaltene). It also examines the cultivation of aerobic and anaerobic hydrocarbon degraders using a range of electron acceptors (e.g. oxygen, nitrate, sulphate, metals, (per)chlorate), and a separate chapter is devoted to explaining the cultivation of methanogens. Special attention is given to: high-throughput cultivation, growing microbes as biofilms, and cultivating fastidious microbes, as well as the preservation of microbial pure cultures and consortia. Accordingly, this Volume will be of value to anyone embarking on the selective enrichment and cultivation of novel microorganisms. Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology ProtocolsThere are tens of thousands of structurally different hydrocarbons, hydrocarbon derivatives and lipids, and a wide array of these molecules are required for cells to function. The global hydrocarbon cycle, which is largely driven by microorganisms, has a major impact on our environment and climate. Microbes are responsible for cleaning up the environmental pollution caused by the exploitation of hydrocarbon reservoirs and will also be pivotal in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels by providing biofuels, plastics and industrial chemicals. Gaining an understanding of the relevant functions of the wide range of microbes that produce, consume and modify hydrocarbons and related compounds will be key to responding to these challenges. This comprehensive collection of current and emerging protocols will facilitate acquisition of this understanding and exploitation of useful activities of such microbes.

This volume presents a comprehensive perspective of the biopesticides Bacillus thuringiensis and Lysinibacillus sphaericus, from their basic biology to agriculture, forestry and public-health applications. It covers their ecology, virulence factors, and genetic characterization. The topics related to agriculture and forestry include mode of action, receptors of insect pests, and heterologous expression of toxins in insect cells and plants. Public-health researchers will find information on vector control programs with an emphasis on the Neotropical region. The book also discusses new products and the global market.

This new edition provides a comprehensive look at the molecular genetics and biochemical basis of fungal biology, covering important model organisms such as Aspergilli while also integrating advances made with zygomycetes and basidiomycetes. This book groups a total of 15 chapters authored by expert scholars in their respective fields into four sections. Five chapters cover various aspects of gene expression regulation. These range from regulation in organismal interactions between parasitic fungi and their host plant, heavy metal stress and global control of natural product genes to conidiation and regulation through RNA interference. Two chapters are dedicated to signal transduction, highlighting MAP-kinase-dependent signaling and heterotrimeric G-proteins. Fungal carbohydrates are the subject of the third section, which addresses both polymeric cell wall carbohydrates and trehalose as an important, low molecular weight carbohydrate. The fourth section emphasizes the metabolism of major elements (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur) and critical cellular pathways for primary and secondary products.