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Home , Marine prokaryotes, Motility

J. Molec. Microbiol. Biotechnol. (1999) 1(1): 3-4. JMMBMarine Symposium 3

Molecular Marine Microbiology

Douglas H. Bartlett* describes the bacterial manufacturing of magnetic iron containing () within certain Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine benthic and their biotechnological promise in Scripps Institution of Oceanography products ranging from magnetic tapes to magnetic University of California, San Diego resonance imaging devices. La Jolla, CA 92093-0202, USA Two articles deal with mysterious mechanisms operating in marine microbes. Linda McCarter introduces surface-regulated phenomena, including The following thirteen minireviews introduce some of the via lateral flagella, in the human and marine exciting milestones being covered in molecular marine resident, V. parahaemolyticus. Bianca Brahamsha details microbiology today, and in many cases, their biomedical the only known case of liquid motility in the absence of or biotechnological relevance. The issues covered include flagella, a phenotype displayed by many marine quorum and anti-, selected symbioses, species. DNA shuffling in the environment, the and devel- The minireviews end with descriptions of the opment of novel motility mechanisms, hydrocarbon deg- adaptations of certain deep-sea to extremes radation, the interactions of microbes with metals, and of and temperature. Kato and Qureshi present a adaptations to extremes of pressure and temperature. Al- taxomonic overview of deep-sea bacteria and genetic and though most of these topics are not exclusive to marine biophysical analyses of respiratory chain adaptations to realms, they all have as a common thread a profound rel- elevated pressure. My article describes genetic evidence evance to the environment. for the role of additional membrane components in One of the great contributions of marine microbiology pressure-sensing and adaptation, the discovery of a DNA to all of microbiology has been the discovery of the impor- recombination which is also required for at low tance of acylated homoserine lactones in density or volume change, and the potential of deep-sea bacteria as “quorum” sensing by bacteria. The paradigm for this mode a source of for the biosynthesis of polyunsaturated of regulation, the control of in fatty acids. Finally, Robb and Clark end our written fischeri, is described by Paul Dunlap. An entirely new light symposium with a discussion of the biochemical bases of on V. fischeri is provided by Ned Ruby, who describes how thermostability in from hyperthermophiles, most this , along with a squid host with which it of which are members of the . has established a mutualistic association, is providing new Although this admittedly ecclectic collection of articles clues to bacterial colonization of epithelial tissue. A is hardly representative of all of molecular marine fascinating twist on quorum sensing is presented by Rice microbiology (for example, no articles dealing with et al. who describe the synthesis of an inhibitor of bacte- or are included), the accompanying articles do rial quorum sensing systems by a species of . provide a valuable glimpse into many of the exciting The inhibitor appears to represent a chemical strategy used developments taking place in this broad field. Readers will by the algae to limit bacterial colonization of its surfaces. find these articles useful both as reference sources and Additional aspects of bioactive metabolites involved in the as introductions to topics yet to be explored. symbiotic interactions of marine is de- scribed by Haygood et al. who describe potential biomedi- cal applications of microbes obtained from marine inverte- brates. Of course microbes take in much more than cell-cell signaling molecules. Many prokaryotes can also take in DNA, and thus re-tailor their genetic identies. John Paul describes transfer among indiginous microbes in the environment and the significance of transformation, conjugation and transduction to . Additional microbial processing reactions which are of biotechnological relevance concern the applications of to environmental clean up and nano- scale biofabrication. Harayama et al. describe the fate of various petroleum components in , and the significance of in marine . Francis and Tebo explore the details of manganese oxidation, progressing from genes to enzyme kinetics and applications to toxic metal removal. Finally, Dirk Schüler

*For correspondence. Email [email protected]; Tel. 619-534-5233; Fax. 619-534-7313.

© 1999 Horizon Scientific Press Further Reading

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