Ebook: Methods for General and Molecular Microbiology

This book will be an invaluable resource to every serious practitioner of microbiology in academia, industry, and government, and in clinical laboratories for traditional methods of microbiology as well as commonly used modern molecular microbiological methods. New chapters cover important topics such as molecular genetics of archaea; molecular genetic manipulations using phages as tools; state-of-the-art technology used in studying complex, naturally occurring microbial communities; metabolism of natural polymers including cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin; DNA microarray technology; physiology, metabolism, molecular genetic approaches to the study of filamentous fungi, and general and molecular approaches for studying microbial symbioses. Each section details reliable methods applicable to basic studies. Additionally, chapters present background principles to facilitate understanding of the how and why of a given method, followed by a step-by-step description of the procedure. Common problems, precautions, and pitfalls of the methods are also presented as well as commercial sources for equipment and materials.
Content:
Front Matter
• Preface
• Table of Contents
•Section 1. Morphology and Ultrastructure
• Introduction to Morphology and Ultrastructure
1. Light Microscopy
2. Sampling and Staining for Light Microscopy
3. Laser Scanning Microscopy
4. Electron Microscopy
5. Computational Image Analysis and Reconstruction from Transmission Electron Micrographs
6. Atomic Force Microscopy
7. Cell Fractionation
8. Antigen-Antibody Reactions
•Section 2. Growth
Introduction to Growth
9. Growth Measurement
10. Nutrition and Media
11. Enrichment and Isolation
12. Culture Techniques
13. Energetics, Stoichiometry, and Kinetics of Microbial Growth
14. Physicochemical Factors in Growth
15. Phenotypic Characterization and the Principles of Comparative Systematics
16. General Methods to Investigate Microbial Symbioses
•Section 3. Metabolism
• Introduction to Metabolism
17. Physical Analysis and Purification Methods
18. Chemical Analysis
19. Enzymatic Activity
20. Permeability and Transport
21. Bacterial Respiration
22. Carbohydrate Fermentations
23. Metabolism of Aromatic Compounds
24. Cellulases, Hemicellulases, and Pectinases
25. Lignin and Lignin-Modifying Enzymes
•Section 4. Molecular Genetics
• Introduction to Molecular Genetics
26. Similarity Analysis of DNAs
27. Nucleic Acid Analysis
28. Measuring Spontaneous Mutation Rates
29. Transposon Mutagenesis
30. Plasmids
31. Gene Transfer in Gram-Negative Bacteria
32. Genetic Exchange in Gram-Positive Bacteria
33. Genetics of Archaea
34. Genetic Manipulations Using Phages
•Section 5. Community and Genomic Analysis
Introduction to Community and Genomic Analysis
35. Characterization of Bacterial Genome Sequences by Similarity Searching
36. Reconstructing and Interpreting Evolutionary Relationships
37. Microbial Nucleotide Fingerprints in Nature
38. Construction of BAC and Fosmid Libraries from Naturally Occurring Microbial Populations
39. Single Cell Identification by Fluorescence in situ Hybridization
40. Measurement of rRNA Abundance by Hybridization with Oligodeoxynucleotide Probes
41. Analysis of Microbial Communities with Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis and Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism
•Section 6. Mycology
Introduction to Mycology
42. Methods for Studying Terrestrial Fungal Ecology and Diversity
43. Physiology Metabolism and Molecular Aspects of Filamentous Fungi
44. Microbiological and Genetic Methods for Filamentous Fungi
45. Principles and Practice of DNA Microarray Technology
Appendices
Index
• Color Plate