The Ocean to D AY
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MICRO B IOLOGY TODAY QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF THE SOCIETY FOR GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY 37:2 MAY 2010 METATRANSCRIPTOMICS CYANOBACTERIA EUKARYOTIC PARASITES MARINE VIRAL ECOLOGY T HERMOTOGA AND BIOFUEL ANTIMICROBIALS FROM THE SEA M ICROBIOLOGY TODAY 37:2 MAY 2010 THE OCEAN COVER IMAGE Ocean wave. FEATURES REGULARS iStockphoto / Thinkstock 82 70 News NTS Beyond the infinite – tracking E bacterial gene expression 78 Microshorts JACK A. GILBERT 80 Conferences EDITOR The importance of metatranscriptomics in Dr Paul Hoskisson understanding marine ecosystems. CONT 110 Schoolzone EDITORIAL BOARD Dr Kim Hardie 86 116 Gradline Professor Mark Harris Cyanobacteria Professor Jo Verran DAVID G. ADAMS MANAGING EDITOR 120 Going Public Janet Hurst Why are cyanobacteria so important for the environment? EDITORIAL ASSISTANT 127 Council 09–10 Y 2010 Yvonne Taylor 92 DESIGN 128 Hot off the Press Ian Atherton The ecological significance of MA ADDRESS small, eukaryotic parasites in 131 Reviews SGM HQ, Marlborough marine ecosystems House, Basingstoke Road, Spencers Wood, Reading LAURE GUILLOU, CATHARINA ALVES-DE-SOUZA, 136 Comment RG7 1AG RAFFAELE SIANO, HUMBERTO GONZÁLEZ The remarkable 37:2 TEL 0118 988 1809 The role of eukaryotic pathogens of plankton in FAX 0118 988 5656 ‘taxonomy gene’ marine ecology should not be ignored. EMAIL [email protected] H. GEST WEB www.sgm.ac.uk ADVErtISING 96 James Priest, Group Sales Viral ecology: old questions, Manager, Ten Alps Media, new challenges EXTRAS ONE New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1NU K. ERIC WOMMACK TEL 0207 657 1804 The diversity and abundance of viruses in the 133 FAX 0207 379 7115 EMAIL james.priest@ biosphere is being revealed by metagenomics. Obituaries: tenalps.com Duncan McGarva © 2010 The Society for 100 General Microbiology Thermotoga, a small genus with Pat Clarke ISSN 1464-0570 a large potential in biohydrogen Walter Plowright PRINTED BY synthesis Latimer Trend & Co. Ltd, NIELS THOMAS ERIKSEN, THOMAS MARIUS NIELSEN, Plymouth, UK NIKOLAJ KYNDBY HOLM & MARTIN LEEGAARD RIIS Does this small marine thermophile hold the key to biofuel development? 104 Antimicrobials: treasures from the oceans The views expressed by contributors are not JEM STACH necessarily those of The potential of novel actinomycetes from the Society; nor can the claims of advertisers be the sea bed to provide the next generation of guaranteed. antimicrobial compounds. ALL CHANGE AT MT And sometimes when a piece is Josiane retires to-date don’t just happen. Accounts have to credited, I actually ghosted it. be kept as well, money paid into the bank, Janet in This is my last issue as Managing Editor of Microbiology Today as Now it’s time to hand on ISTS badges printed, programme books produced July 1991 At the end of April, SGM bid by the time you read the magazine, I will have retired. Although at Harvest the mantle to others, who will G and deadlines met – it’s a complicated farewell to Josiane Dunn who employed originally at the SGM in 1990 as Professional Affairs House, SGM’s no doubt develop the magazine business organizing meetings, that involves previous has run the meetings office with NEWS Assistant, when the main concern was the disappearance of named further and take it to greater much forward-planning, multi-tasking, headquarters. charm and great efficiency since microbiology departments in universities (they all went and now it’s (Yes, that heights. Ian Atherton, who is attention to detail and patience. Josiane has 1999. Josiane has organized a perceived decline in named microbiology degrees!), I soon became is Ian in the already Production and Design these in spades, in addition to a very pleasant background!) 24 Society main meetings embroiled in many other Society activities. Grants were ‘dumped’ Editor, is taking over my role and warm personality. To Josiane nothing is a Fred Fabry and many smaller events such on me in the first week and I became responsible for careers of Managing Editor, but he will problem – troubleshooting is just something as FIS conferences. Over promotion too. I don’t know how I got to be involved in writing These days MT not only goes to members be helped by a good team, to that has to be done. the years, she has probably copy for what was then the rather dull SGM Quarterly, but I was, around the world, it is also sent to politicians whom I wish every success. As Josiane is always the first to met more members of the even though my name didn’t appear as part of the editorial team! and opinion-formers as part of the SGM’s emphasize, ensuring that the meetings run JANET HURST Society than anyone else, both The magazine was put together by journal staff in those days and Microbiology Awareness Campaign. It is smoothly is a team effort, involving other delegates at meetings and the individuals on Sylvia Stubbs from JGV was in charge. A few months after I joined distributed to schools and generally acts as SGM staff; Karen’s help in the office is the group committees (more recently divisional SGM, Ian Atherton was employed to work on Microbiology and he a promotional tool for both the Society and particularly appreciated. However, Josiane committees) who organize the scientific content AND MICROBIOLO eventually took over from Sylvia on the Q when she left. Thus began microbiology. The magazine is also available on herself is a great team player, always willing of our programmes. She has provided an a partnership that has lasted almost 20 years. the web and PDFs of the articles can be freely GY to help others and provide a sensible opinion excellent service to the latter and also to the Lots of other people have contributed to the success of the downloaded by anyone. on matters. Her reputation as a whizz with widely ranging speakers from all over the world magazine in that time, of course. Publications Officers, who were It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to work the database system Filemaker Pro, has who are invited to deliver talks on their research, also the Editors of the magazine, have come and gone, and help on MT, seeing both it and the Society through benefited not only the meetings organization organizing their travel arrangements when asked, has also been provided by an editorial assistant (Janice Meekings for many changes and developments. With hardly any but also many other activities in the External providing reassurance and quietly but firmly 2010 2010 many years, now Yvonne Taylor). An editorial board of ‘volunteers’ exceptions (!), the authors have been a delight Relations Office. Y Y nagging the recalcitrant ones into providing their from among the Council membership was set up in 1999, and to interact with and all seemed to have been Josiane is not totally unflappable, of MA AV requirements and abstracts as near to time as MA has since provided essential help in finding authors for articles as pleased to make contributions. In all the time we course, she has been seen running out of the 70 possible. 71 themed issues of the magazine developed. SGM staff also provide have been commissioning pieces, only one article office screaming at the sight of a wasp. She In addition to her work in securing venues Y copy for their area of responsibility, not always willingly it has to has failed to materialize at all, which says a lot Josiane unwraps also does not like chilli, which cuts down on Y DA and organizing the infrastructure of the meetings, DA a leaving present O be said! It’s a great team effort and we think, a great members’ about the dedication of our contributors. That the choice of restaurants when staff have O S, MICROBIOLO T at her farewell ensuring that lecture theatres are ready and not T magazine! one omission meant I had to write four pages E to eat out! Nevertheless, she will be sorely lunch. Laura only are we fed, but that the food and drink turns The production process has changed hugely over the past just before going to press, but it just added to the Udakis missed at the SGM and everyone wishes her up at the right time in the programme, Josiane two decades. When we started, the typesetting was outsourced frisson of the job. Perhaps one thing that most a very happy retirement. has also processed thousands and thousands and great long galley proofs had to be checked. All I remember is readers don’t know is that if no-one’s name is As anyone who has spoken to Josiane of bookings from delegates. Whatever their MICROBIOLOGY MICROBIOLOGY a preponderance of mis-keyed letter ‘j’s throughout the text that attached to a piece of text, it’s written by me. knows, she is French by birth and plans to MICROBIOLOGY Janet and Josiane requirements for meals, had to be corrected. The proofs were cut up and stuck on a spend a lot more time with her large family in their office, accommodation and other template, which was then sent to the printers. Images were supplied April 2010. Laura in France, as well as achieving various other activities, these have to ACTIVITI in the form of hard copy photographs or even 35 mm slides and Udakis ambitions to visit destinations such as Peru be logged and turned into Y the magazine was mono throughout. August 1992 marked a big T and Nepal. As a recent proud ‘Mamie’, she a format that results in change – along with a new design, we were allowed to have a E will also be helping to look after her baby what is wanted on the day colour picture on the cover! grand-daughter Matilda.