DOCSLIB.ORG

Microbial Caco3 Precipitation for the Production of Biocement

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Microbial Caco3 Precipitation for the Production of Biocement Microbial CaCO3 Precipitation for the production of Biocement School of Biological Sciences & Biotechnology Murdoch University Western Australia This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biotechnology September 2004 Victoria S. Whiffin i “Upon touching sand, may it turn to gold” Anon. (Greek proverb) Whiffin, Victoria S. Microbial CaCO3 precipitation for the production of biocement. Ph.D thesis: Murdoch University Subject headings: Urease / Calcium carbonate precipitation / Bacteria. ii iii Declaration I declare that this thesis is my own account of my research and contains as its main content work that has not previously been submitted for a degree at any university. Victoria Whiffin iv Summary The hydrolysis of urea by the widely distributed enzyme urease is special in that it is one of the few biologically occurring reactions that can generate carbonate ions without an associated production of protons. When this hydrolysis occurs in a calcium-rich environment, calcite (calcium carbonate) precipitates from solution forming a solid-crystalline material. The binding strength of the precipitated crystals is highly dependent on the rate of carbonate formation and under suitable conditions it is possible to control the reaction to generate hard binding calcite cement (or Biocement). The objective of this thesis was to develop an industrially suitable cost-effective microbial process for the production of urease active cells and investigate the potential for urease active cells to act as a catalyst for the production of Biocement. The biocementation capability of two suitable strains was compared. Sporosarcina pasteurii (formally Bacillus pasteurii) produced significantly higher levels of urease activity compared to Proteus vulgaris, however the level of urease activity was variable with respect to biomass suggesting that the enzyme was not constitutive as indicated by the literature, but subject to regulation. The environmental and physiological conditions for maximum urease activity in S. pasteurii were investigated and it was found that the potential urease capacity of the organism was very high (29 mM urea.min-1.OD-1) and sufficient for biocementation without additional processing (e.g. concentration, cell lysis). The regulation mechanism for S. pasteurii urease was not fully elucidated in this study, however it was shown that low specific urease activity was not due to depletion of urea nor due to the high concentrations of the main reaction product, ammonium. pH conditions were shown to have a regulatory effect on urease but it was evident that another co-regulating mechanism existed. Despite not fully exploiting the urease capability of S. pasteurii, sufficient urease activity to allow direct application of the enzyme without additional processing could still be achieved and the organism was considered suitable for biocementation. v Summary Urease was the most expensive component of the cementation process and cost- efficient production was desired, thus an economic growth procedure was developed for large-scale cultivation of S. pasteurii. The organism is a moderate alkaliphile (growth optimum pH 9.25) and it was shown that sufficient activity for biocementation could be cultivated in non-sterile conditions with a minimum of upstream and downstream processing. The cultivation medium was economised and expensive components were replace with a food-grade protein source and acetate, which lowered production costs by 95%. A high level of urease activity (21 mM urea hydrolysed.min-1) was produced in the new medium at a low cost ($0.20 (AUD) per L). The performance of urease in whole S. pasteurii cells was evaluated under biocementation conditions (i.e. presence of high concentrations of urea, Ca2+, + - - NH4 /NH3, NO3 and Cl ions). It was established that the rate of urea hydrolysis was not constant during cementation, but largely controlled by the external concentrations of urea and calcium, which constantly changed during cementation due to precipitation of solid calcium carbonate from the system. A simple model was generated that predicted the change in urea hydrolysis rate over the course of cementation. It was shown that whole cell S. pasteurii urease was tolerant to concentrations of up to 3 M urea and 2 M calcium, and the rate of urea hydrolysis was unaffected up to by 3 M ammonium. This allowed the controlled precipitation of up to 1.5 M CaCO3 within one treatment, and indicated that the enzyme was very stable inspite of extreme chemical conditions. A cost-efficient cementation procedure for the production of high cementation strength was developed. Several biocementation trials were conducted in order to optimise the imparted cementation strength by determining the effect of urea hydrolysis rate on the development of strength. It was shown that high cementation strength was produced at low urea hydrolysis rates and that the development of cementation strength was not linear over the course of the reaction but mostly occurred in the first few hours of the reaction. In addition, the whole cell bacterial enzyme had capacity to be immobilised in the cementation material and re-used to subsequent applications, offering a significant cost-saving to the process. vi Summary An industry-sponsored trial was undertaken to investigate the effectiveness of Biocement for increasing in-situ strength and stiffness of two different sandy soils; (a) Koolschijn sand and (b) 90% Koolschijn sand mixed with 10% peat (Holland Veen). After biocementation treatment, Koolschijn sand indicated a shear strength of 1.8 MPa and a stiffness of 250 MPa, which represents an 8-fold and 3-fold respective improvement in strength compared to unconsolidated sand. Significantly lower strength improvements were observed in sand mixed with peat. In combination, trials of producing bacteria under economically acceptable conditions and cementation trials support the possibility of on-site production and in-situ application of large field applications. vii Contents Declaration iii Summary iv Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Thesis Objectives 17 Chapter 2 Investigation of suitable microbial sources of urease 18 Chapter 3 Optimisation of urease production in Sporosarcina 37 pasteurii Chapter 4 Economisation and up-scaling issues 59 Chapter 5 Evaluating the performance of urease under industrial 76 conditions Chapter 6 Biocementation trials 89 Chapter 7 Industrial application of the biocementation 113 technology Chapter 8 General Discussion 129 References 136 Appendices 145 Acknowledgements 154 viii Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction Calcite (CaCO3) is one of the most common and widespread minerals on Earth, constituting 4% by weight of the Earth’s crust. It is naturally found in extensive sedimentary rock masses, as limestone, marble and calcareous sandstones in marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments (Hammes and Verstraete, 2002; Klein and Hurlbut, 1999). Bacterial contribution to these extensive formations had been suspected for some time (Drew, 1910) but remained controversial until recent investigations involving the microbial pathways and the required precipitation conditions, indicated that bacteria have the potential to far exceed the abiotic contribution to calcium carbonate deposition in most environments on Earth (Castanier et al., 2000b). In addition to this, the huge limestone formations on the sea bottom have to a large extent resulted from great thicknesses of calcareous material from pelargic skeletal organisms (such as coccolithophores and foraminifera) (Morse, 2003; Klein and Hurlbut, 1999). It has been shown that the cellular organelles that are largely responsible for the production of carbonate shells in eukaryotic organisms, are the mitochondria (or chloroplasts). These organelles are widely considered as primitive endosymbiotic bacteria, which further supports the bacterial contribution to carbonate precipitation (Castanier et al., 2000b). The precipitation of calcium carbonate is governed by four parameters; (1) the calcium concentration, (2) the carbonate concentration, (3) the pH of the environment (which affects carbonate speciation and calcium carbonate solubility) and (4) the presence of nucleation sites (Hammes and Verstraete, 2002). Carbonate precipitation may theoretically occur in natural environments by increasing the concentration of calcium and/or carbonate in solution or by decreasing the solubility of calcium and/or carbonate. Calcite precipitation may come about abiotically by evaporation or shifts in temperature or pressure, or biotically through the action of microorganisms. Bacterial cells have themselves been shown to be excellent nucleation sites for growing minerals (authigenic) 1 Chapter 1 - Introduction during the formation of rock (Ferris et al., 1986; Ferris et al., 1987), with many studies confirming the precipitation of calcite on the bacterial cell surface (Fujita et al., 2000; Hammes et al., 2003c; Warren et al., 2001). As there is no shortage of nucleation sites in bacterial cultures, the first three parameters of calcium concentration, carbonate concentration and pH are key for microbial carbonate precipitation (MCP). 1.2 Microbial Carbonate Precipitation (MCP) Microbial carbonate precipitation (MCP) has gained interest in the last 20 years, particularly with regard to the potential role marine systems may play as ‘carbon sinks’ for the increasing global production of CO2. Three main groups of organisms exist that can induce MCP through their metabolic processes; (i) photosynthetic
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The 2014 Golden Gate National Parks Bioblitz - Data Management and the Event Species List Achieving a Quality Dataset from a Large Scale Event
    National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science The 2014 Golden Gate National Parks BioBlitz - Data Management and the Event Species List Achieving a Quality Dataset from a Large Scale Event Natural Resource Report NPS/GOGA/NRR—2016/1147 ON THIS PAGE Photograph of BioBlitz participants conducting data entry into iNaturalist. Photograph courtesy of the National Park Service. ON THE COVER Photograph of BioBlitz participants collecting aquatic species data in the Presidio of San Francisco. Photograph courtesy of National Park Service. The 2014 Golden Gate National Parks BioBlitz - Data Management and the Event Species List Achieving a Quality Dataset from a Large Scale Event Natural Resource Report NPS/GOGA/NRR—2016/1147 Elizabeth Edson1, Michelle O’Herron1, Alison Forrestel2, Daniel George3 1Golden Gate Parks Conservancy Building 201 Fort Mason San Francisco, CA 94129 2National Park Service. Golden Gate National Recreation Area Fort Cronkhite, Bldg. 1061 Sausalito, CA 94965 3National Park Service. San Francisco Bay Area Network Inventory & Monitoring Program Manager Fort Cronkhite, Bldg. 1063 Sausalito, CA 94965 March 2016 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate comprehensive information and analysis about natural resources and related topics concerning lands managed by the National Park Service.
    [Show full text]
  • Catalogue of Bacteria Shapes
    We first tried to use the most general shape associated with each genus, which are often consistent across species (spp.) (first choice for shape). If there was documented species variability, either the most common species (second choice for shape) or well known species (third choice for shape) is shown. Corynebacterium: pleomorphic bacilli. Due to their snapping type of division, cells often lie in clusters resembling chinese letters (https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Corynebacterium) Shown is Corynebacterium diphtheriae Figure 1. Stained Corynebacterium cells. The "barred" appearance is due to the presence of polyphosphate inclusions called metachromatic granules. Note also the characteristic "Chinese-letter" arrangement of cells. (http:// textbookofbacteriology.net/diphtheria.html) Lactobacillus: Lactobacilli are rod-shaped, Gram-positive, fermentative, organotrophs. They are usually straight, although they can form spiral or coccobacillary forms under certain conditions. (https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/ Lactobacillus) Porphyromonas: A genus of small anaerobic gram-negative nonmotile cocci and usually short rods thatproduce smooth, gray to black pigmented colonies the size of which varies with the species. (http:// medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Porphyromonas) Shown: Porphyromonas gingivalis Moraxella: Moraxella is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria in the Moraxellaceae family. It is named after the Swiss ophthalmologist Victor Morax. The organisms are short rods, coccobacilli or, as in the case of Moraxella catarrhalis, diplococci in morphology (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moraxella). *This one could be changed to a diplococcus shape because of moraxella catarrhalis, but i think the short rods are fair given the number of other moraxella with them. Jeotgalicoccus: Jeotgalicoccus is a genus of Gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic, and halotolerant to halophilicbacteria.
    [Show full text]
  • CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Comparative
    CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Comparative Genomics and Epigenomics of Sporosarcina ureae A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Biology By Andrew Oliver August 2016 The thesis of Andrew Oliver is approved by: _________________________________________ ____________ Sean Murray, Ph.D. Date _________________________________________ ____________ Gilberto Flores, Ph.D. Date _________________________________________ ____________ Kerry Cooper, Ph.D., Chair Date California State University, Northridge ii Acknowledgments First and foremost, a special thanks to my advisor, Dr. Kerry Cooper, for his advice and, above all, his patience. If I can be half the scientist you are someday, I would be thrilled. I would like to also thank everyone in the Cooper lab, especially my colleagues Courtney Sams and Tabitha Bayangnos. It was a privilege to work along side you. More thanks to my committee members, Dr. Gilberto Flores and Dr. Sean Murray. Dr. Flores, you were instrumental in guiding me to ask the right questions regarding bacterial taxonomy. Dr. Murray, your contributions to my graduate studies would make this section run on for pages. I thank you for taking me under your wing from the beginning. Acknowledgement and thanks to the Baresi lab, especially Dr. Larry Baresi and Tania Kurbessoian for their partnership in this research. Also to Bernardine Pregerson for all the work that lays at the foundation of this study. This research would not be what it is without the help of my childhood friend, Matthew Kay. You wrote programs, taught me coding languages, and challenged me to go digging for answers to very difficult questions.
    [Show full text]
  • Product Sheet Info
    Product Information Sheet for HM-331 Sporosarcina sp., Strain 2681 Incubation: Temperature: 37°C Atmosphere: Aerobic Catalog No. HM-331 Propagation: 1. Keep vial frozen until ready for use, then thaw. For research use only. Not for human use. 2. Transfer the entire thawed aliquot into a single tube of broth. Contributor: 3. Use several drops of the suspension to inoculate an Kimberlee A. Musser, Ph.D., Chief, Bacterial Diseases, agar slant and/or plate. Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York 4. Incubate the tubes and plate at 37°C for 48 hours. State Department of Health, Albany, New York Citation: Manufacturer: NIH Biodefense and Emerging Infections Acknowledgment for publications should read “The following reagent was obtained through the NIH Biodefense and Research Resource Repository Emerging Infections Research Resources Repository, NIAID, NIH as part of the Human Microbiome Project: Sporosarcina Product Description: sp., Strain 2681, HM-331.” Bacteria Classification: Planococcaceae, Sporosarcina Species: Sporosarcina sp. Biosafety Level: 2 Strain: 2681 Original Source: Sporosarcina sp., strain 2681 was isolated Appropriate safety procedures should always be used with 1 this material. Laboratory safety is discussed in the following from human blood. Comments: Sporosarcina sp., strain 2681 is a reference publication: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and genome for The Human Microbiome Project (HMP). HMP Prevention, and National Institutes of Health. Biosafety in is an initiative to identify and characterize human microbial flora. The complete genome of Sporosarcina sp., strain Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories. 5th ed. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2007; see 2681 is currently being sequenced at the Human Genome www.cdc.gov/od/ohs/biosfty/bmbl5/bmbl5toc.htm.
    [Show full text]
  • Sporosarcina Aquimarina Sjam16103 Isolated from the Pneumatophores of Avicennia Marina L
    Hindawi Publishing Corporation International Journal of Microbiology Volume 2012, Article ID 532060, 10 pages doi:10.1155/2012/532060 Research Article Plant Growth Promoting of Endophytic Sporosarcina aquimarina SjAM16103 Isolated from the Pneumatophores of Avicennia marina L. S. Rylo Sona Janarthine1 and P. Eganathan2 1 Faculty of Marine Science, Annamalai University, Chidambaram 608 502, India 2 Biotechnology Division, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai 600 113, India Correspondence should be addressed to S. Rylo Sona Janarthine, jana [email protected] Received 17 October 2011; Revised 12 January 2012; Accepted 20 April 2012 AcademicEditor:A.J.M.Stams Copyright © 2012 S. R. S. Janarthine and P. Eganathan. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Endophytic Sporosarcina aquimarina SjAM16103 was isolated from the inner tissues of pneumatophores of mangrove plant Avicennia marina along with Bacillus sp. and Enterobacter sp. Endophytic S. aquimarina SjAM16103 was Gram variable, and motile bacterium measured 0.6–0.9 μm wide by 1.7–2.0 μm long and light orange-brown coloured in 3-day cultures on tryptone broth at 26◦C. Nucleotide sequence of this strain has been deposited in the GenBank under accession number GU930359. This endophytic bacterium produced 2.37 μMol/mL of indole acetic acid and siderophore as it metabolites. This strain could solubilize phosphate molecules and fixes atmospheric nitrogen. Endophytic S. aquimarina SjAM16103 was inoculated into four different plants under in vitro method to analyse its growth-promoting activity and role inside the host plants.
    [Show full text]
  • Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences
    ISSN: 0975-8585 Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences Florula of Larval and Imaginal Phases of the Volfartova Fly (Wohlfarthia magnifica) In the Conditions of the Steppe Zone of The Pavlodar Region. A A Bitkeyeva1* and L T Bulekbayeva2. 1Senior teacher, Master of Ecology, Pavlodar State University named after S. Toraygyrov, The Republic of Kazakhstan. 2Associate professor, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Pavlodar State Pedagogical Institute, Republic of Kazakhstan. ABSTRACT Groups of bacteria were found during research in a steppe zone of the Pavlodar region, belonging to 3 families: Baccilaceae, Micrococcaceae, Enterobacteriacea. 13 species of pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria are obtained and identified, which cause diseases. Reception of agents from flies of Wohlfartia magnifica family in region farms forces to pay attention to quite real possibility and contagion of various infections. It creates the menacing epidemiological and epizootiology situation on the adjacent to farms of populated places, as flies with excrements can infect forages and migrate on considerable distances. Keywords: bacteria, diseases, infections, larvaes, microorganisms, flies, sheep, pathogenic microorganisms, carriers. *Corresponding author July– August 2015 RJPBCS 6(4) Page No. 2069 ISSN: 0975-8585 INTRODUCTION Flies are known as carriers of causative agents of dangerous infectious and invasive diseases. Therefore, in the populated places and on the pastures, studying of microbal and helminthosis impurity of flies represents scientific and practical interest. Epidemiological value of flies was opened by E.N. Pavlovskiy and V.P. Derbeneva-Ukhova, they participate in distribution about 70 pathogenic microflora, and including agents of a tularemia, anthrax, diphtheria, cholera, plague, a crab hand, etc. [2; 8; 12].
    [Show full text]
  • Biomineralization Mediated by Ureolytic Bacteria Applied to Water Treatment: a Review
    crystals Review Biomineralization Mediated by Ureolytic Bacteria Applied to Water Treatment: A Review Dayana Arias 1,2 ID , Luis A. Cisternas 2,3 ID and Mariella Rivas 1,3,* 1 Laboratory of Algal Biotechnology & Sustainability, Faculty of Marine Sciences and Biological Resources, University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1240000, Chile; [email protected] 2 Department of Chemical Engineering and Mineral Process, University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta 1240000, Chile; [email protected] 3 Science and Technology Research Center for Mining CICITEM, Antofagasta 1240000, Chile * Correspondence: [email protected] Academic Editor: Jolanta Prywer Received: 6 October 2017; Accepted: 4 November 2017; Published: 17 November 2017 Abstract: The formation of minerals such as calcite and struvite through the hydrolysis of urea catalyzed by ureolytic bacteria is a simple and easy way to control mechanisms, which has been extensively explored with promising applications in various areas such as the improvement of cement and sandy materials. This review presents the detailed mechanism of the biominerals production by ureolytic bacteria and its applications to the wastewater, groundwater and seawater treatment. In addition, an interesting application is the use of these ureolytic bacteria in the removal of heavy metals and rare earths from groundwater, the removal of calcium and recovery of phosphate from wastewater, and its potential use as a tool for partial biodesalination of seawater and saline aquifers. Finally, we discuss the benefits of using biomineralization processes in water treatment as well as the challenges to be solved in order to reach a successful commercialization of this technology. Keywords: biomineralization; calcite; seawater; wastewater; heavy metals removal; biodesalination 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Curriculum Vitae SIR RICHARD JOHN ROBERTS ADDRESS PERSONAL
    Curriculum Vitae SIR RICHARD JOHN ROBERTS ADDRESS New England Biolabs 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 02138 USA Email: [email protected] Telephone: (978) 380-7405 / Fax: (978) 380-7406 PERSONAL Born on September 6, 1943, Derby, England EDUCATION 1962-1965 University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England B.Sc. in Chemistry 1966-1968 University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry POSITIONS 2005- Chief Scientific Officer, New England Biolabs 1992-2005 Research Director, New England Biolabs 1986-92 Assistant Director for Research, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 1972-86 Senior Staff Investigator, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 1971-1972 Research Associate in Biochemistry, Harvard University 1969-1970 Research Fellow, Harvard University OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES 1974-1992 Consultant and Chairman of Scientific Advisory Board New England Biolabs 1977-1985 Scientific Advisory Board, Genex Corp. 1977-1987 Editorial Board: Nucleic Acids Research 1979-1984 Editorial Board: Journal of Biological Chemistry 1982-1989 Member: National Advisory Committee of GENBANK 1984-1986 Member: National Advisory Committee of BIONET 1985-1988 Panel member: NIH Study Section in Biochemistry. 1985-2002 Editorial Board: Bioinformatics (formerly CABIOS) 1987-1990 Chairman: National Advisory Committee of BIONET 1987-2009 Senior Executive Editor: Nucleic Acids Research 1990-1992 Panel member: NCI Cancer Centers Support Grant Review Committee 1993-1995 Panel member: NLM Study Section/Comp. Biol. 1994-2000 Scientific Advisory Board, Molecular Tool 1994- Patron of the Oxford International Biomedical Center 1996-1998 Visiting Professor, University of Bath, UK. 1996-2000 Chairman, NCI Board of Scientific Counselors 1996-1999 Scientific Advisory Board, Oxford Molecular Group 1997-2001 Editorial Board: Current Opinion Chem. Biol.
    [Show full text]
  • Characterization of Ureolytic Bacteria Isolated from Limestone Caves of Sarawak and Evaluation of Their Efficiency in Biocementation
    CHARACTERIZATION OF UREOLYTIC BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM LIMESTONE CAVES OF SARAWAK AND EVALUATION OF THEIR EFFICIENCY IN BIOCEMENTATION By ARMSTRONG IGHODALO OMOREGIE A thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Research) Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Science SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY 2016 ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to isolate, identify and characterise bacteria that are capable of producing urease enzyme, from limestone cave samples of Sarawak. Little is known about the diversity of bacteria inhabiting Sarawak’s limestone caves with the ability of hydrolyzing urea substrate through urease for microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) applications. Several studies have reported that the majority of ureolytic bacterial species involved in calcite precipitation are pathogenic. However, only a few non-pathogenic urease-producing bacteria have high urease activities, essential in MICP treatment for improvement of soil’s shear strength and stiffness. Enrichment culture technique was used in this study to target highly active urease- producing bacteria from limestone cave samples of Sarawak collected from Fairy and Wind Caves Nature Reserves. These isolates were subsequently subjected to an increased urea concentration for survival ability in conditions containing high urea substrates. Urea agar base media was used to screen for positive urease producers among the bacterial isolates. All the ureolytic bacteria were identified with the use of phenotypic and molecular characterizations. For determination of their respective urease activities, conductivity method was used and the highly active ureolytic bacteria isolated comparable with control strain used in this study were selected and used for the next subsequent experiments in this study.
    [Show full text]
  • Sporulation in Bacteria: Beyond the Standard Model
    SUNY Geneseo KnightScholar Biology Faculty/Staff Works Department of Biology 2014 Sporulation in Bacteria: Beyond the Standard Model Elizabeth Hutchison SUNY Geneseo, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/biology Part of the Bacteriology Commons Recommended Citation Hutchison, E. A., Miller, D. A., & Angert, E. R. (2014). Sporulation in Bacteria: Beyond the Standard Model. Microbiology Spectrum, 2(5). This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at KnightScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Biology Faculty/Staff Works by an authorized administrator of KnightScholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SporulationinBacteria: Beyond the Standard Model ELIZABETH A. HUTCHISON,1 DAVID A. MILLER,2 and ESTHER R. ANGERT3 1Department of Biology, SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, NY 14454; 2Department of Microbiology, Medical Instill Development, New Milford, CT 06776; 3Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 ABSTRACT Endospore formation follows a complex, highly in nature (1). These highly resistant, dormant cells can regulated developmental pathway that occurs in a broad range withstand a variety of stresses, including exposure to Firmicutes Bacillus subtilis of . Although has served as a powerful temperature extremes, DNA-damaging agents, and hy- model system to study the morphological, biochemical, and drolytic enzymes (2). The ability to form endospores genetic determinants of sporulation, fundamental aspects of the program remain mysterious for other genera. For example, appears restricted to the Firmicutes (3), one of the ear- it is entirely unknown how most lineages within the Firmicutes liest branching bacterial phyla (4). Endospore formation regulate entry into sporulation.
    [Show full text]
  • Improving the Strength of Sandy Soils Via Ureolytic Caco3 Solidification by Sporosarcina Ureae
    Improving the Strength of Sandy Soils via Ureolytic CaCO3 Solidification by Sporosarcina ureae Justin Michael Whitaker1, Sai Vanapalli2, and Danielle Fortin1; 5 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (413-ARC). University of Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Ottawa, ON, Canada 2Department of Civil Engineering (A015-CBY). University of Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Ottawa, ON, Canada 10 Correspondence to: D. Fortin ([email protected]) Key words: Urease, calcite precipitation, MICP, Sporosarcina, Bacillus, biomineralisation, biofilm Comment [L1]: Typographical error corrected Abstract 15 'Microbial induced carbonate precipitation' (MICP) is a biogeochemical process that can be applied to strengthen materials. The hydrolysis of urea by microbial catalysis to form carbonate is a commonly studied example of MICP. In this study, Sporosarcina ureae, a ureolytic organism, was compared to other ureolytic and non-ureolytic organisms of Bacillus and Sporosarcina in the assessment of its ability to produce carbonates by ureolytic MICP for 20 ground reinforcement. It was found that S. ureae grew optimally in alkaline (pH ~9.0) conditions which favoured MICP and could degrade urea (U/mL = µmol/min.mL.OD600) at levels (30.28 U/mL) similar to S. pasteurii (32.76 U/mL), Comment [L2]: L21 modification Alternative units: umol/min.mL.OD600 the model ureolytic MICP organism. When cells of S. ureae were concentrated (OD600 ~15-20) and mixed with cementation medium containing 0.5 M calcium chloride (CaCl2) and urea into a model sand, repeated treatments (3 x 24 h) were able to improve the confined direct shear strength of samples from 15.77 kPa to as much as 135.80 kPa. This was more than Comment [L3]: Typographical error corrected 25 any other organism observed in the study.
    [Show full text]
  • Screening Photorhabdus Luminescens for Antibacterial Properties Using a Modified Version of the Kirby-Bauer Method Floyd L
    Screening Photorhabdus luminescens for Bacteriocidal Properties Using a Modified Version of the Kirby-Bauer Method Screening Photorhabdus luminescens for Antibacterial Properties Using a Modified Version of the Kirby-Bauer Method Floyd L. Inman, III, A.A.S., Leonard Holmes, Ph.D. The Sartorius-stedim Biotechnology Laboratory University of North Carolina at Pembroke Bacillus cereus Lactococcus lactis Planococcaceae, Streptococcaceae and Micrococcaceae Introduction Methodology (Gram positive cocci) Bacillus licheniformis Micrococcus luteus Bacillus megaterium Neisseria sicca 25 Photorhabdus luminescens is a Gram negative rod-shaped bacterium that 1. Mueller-Hinton (MH) plates were prepared according to manufacturer’s Bacillus subtilis Neisseria subflava 20 belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae (Figure 1). The family of instructions and were poured to a depth of 4 millimeters and stored at Bacillus subtilis Ab producing strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa 15 Enterobacteriaceae is a large one, in which this family consists of all known 4°C. Bacillus thuringensis Pseudomonas fluorescens (mm) 10 organisms that inhabit the gut of humans and animals. Common genus members 2. A nutrient broth culture of the phase 1 variant of P. luminescens was Branhamella (Moraxella) catarrhalis Salmonella enteritidis of Sensitivity Zone S. ureae S. of this family include Escherichia, Salmonella, Shigella, Serratia, Citrobacter, started to obtain cells that were in mid-log phase and will be used to Citrobacter freundii Salmonella typhimurium 5 M. luteusM. Staph. simulansStaph. Staph.epidermidis Strep.durans lactisL. faecalisE. Strep.mutans Klebsiella, Proteus, and Yersinia, just to name a few. infuse sterile, blank antibiotic discs. Enterobacter aerogenes Serratia marcescens 0 Organisms Tested 3. Broth cultures of the bacterial collection were prepared and grown P.
    [Show full text]