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Microbiology Today February 2003 issue
February 18, 2003DNA50 and microbes
This special issue commemorates the 50th anniversary of the publication of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick. Microbes have always played an important role in DNA research and this issue, which features topics in modern molecular microbiology and microbial genomics, shows the enormous amount of progress made in the last 50 years.
Microbiology and me in 1952 (page 4)
In 1952 new lab techniques were being developed that allowed scientists to find out more about bacterial and fungal metabolism. Big questions of the day were: what were viruses and how did they originate? What controlled the replication and heredity of bacteria? Popular science writer and distinguished microbiologist John Postgate looks back at microbiology 50 years ago. He also tells the tale of Jim Watson's presentation to an SGM meeting that year.
Exploiting genomes: bases to megabases in 50 years (page 6)
Microbiology has been transformed by molecular biology in ways that could not have been imagined 50 years ago. DNA sequencing technology allows the entire genetic repertoire of microbes to be examined and exploited. Genomics has also enabled the development of transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Bioinformatics helps scientists to interpret the data. Petra Oyston and Dave Kelly describe the topics to be covered in the main symposium at the SGM's meeting in Manchester in September.
Bacteria and DNA repair - 50 years together (page 8)
All cells rely on DNA to transmit genetic information and it is vital to maintain the integrity of this information, yet DNA is constantly subject to damaging events. DNA repair is one of the key processes essential to the function of every living cell. Nearly all key breakthroughs in our understanding of this process have come through work with bacterial cells, as Peter Strike of Napier University describes.
Base pairing in RNA virus replication and host plant defence (page 12)
Ribonucleotides in RNA can base-pair to form double-stranded structures just as deoxyribonucleotides can in DNA. In virology, RNA-based replication has not been superseded and many viruses have RNA genomes. Mike Mayo of the Scottish Crop Research Institute describes how recent research has shown that host defence against plant virus infection can be 'switched on' by replication of the viral RNA.
Gene therapy in the treatment of disease (page 14)
Single gene defects in humans account for over 4000 inherited disorders. Such disorders can lead to severe and often fatal disease early in life or late onset debilitating disease in adults. Following the identification and linkage of a specific gene to a particular disorder it should be possible to correct a gene defect by supplying a fully functional copy of the gene to a particular cell. Delivery of nucleic acid to cells is not straightforward, but of the various methods in use, viruses currently have the edge over other systems. Stacey Efstathiou of Cambridge University focuses on viral vectors in his exploration of our current state of knowledge of gene therapy.
Come the revolution (page 16)
Microbial research has been revolutionized by the recent rapid progress in sequencing microbial genomes. Stephen Bentley of The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute explains how this revolution came about and describes the huge potential for the exploitation of whole genome data.
Artemis: the goddess of the hunt (page 19)
There are more than 350 bacterial genome sequencing projects currently in progress. A wealth of data is being generated and tools are needed to analyse it. At the Pathogen Sequencing Unit of The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, computer programs have been developed in-house which enable microbiologists to make sense of the huge volume of information now available. Nick Thomson describes Artemis, which is a genome viewer program, and ACT, which is a comparative genomic tool. He also covers the content of the popular one-day course in the use of these programs which he and his colleagues have been running for SGM members.
The influenza pandemic window - heroes and heroines of 1918-1919 (page 25)
More than 50 million people died across the globe in the 'flu pandemic that occurred at the end of the First World War. Whilst every town and village in the UK has a memorial to the troops who died fighting, the influenza casualties have gone unrecorded. To remedy this, eminent influenza virologist Professor John Oxford and his group commissioned a window from international glass artist Johannes Schreiter. The window in the Medical School Library, Whitechapel, is not only a tribute to the victims of the virus, but also to the heroes and heroines who looked after the sick and dying. It is also important to remember that the influenza virus remains one of the greatest killer diseases of mankind.
The significance of European Bat Lyssavirus infection in Great Britain (page 52)
A bat conservationist in Scotland died recently from a form of rabies after being bitten by an infected animal. This caused much media attention and Mary Warrell of the Centre for Tropical Medicine at the John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford considers how much of a risk bat lyssavirus does pose to human health in the UK.
Dr Montville's double helix seaman scarf (page 41)
A knitting pattern for molecular biologists who wish to create their own souvenir of the DNA anniversary.
Society for General Microbiology
Microbiology has been transformed by molecular biology in ways that could not have been imagined 50 years ago. DNA sequencing technology allows the entire genetic repertoire of microbes to be examined and exploited. Genomics has also enabled the development of transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Bioinformatics helps scientists to interpret the data. Petra Oyston and Dave Kelly describe the topics to be covered in the main symposium at the SGM's meeting in Manchester in September.
Bacteria and DNA repair - 50 years together (page 8)
All cells rely on DNA to transmit genetic information and it is vital to maintain the integrity of this information, yet DNA is constantly subject to damaging events. DNA repair is one of the key processes essential to the function of every living cell. Nearly all key breakthroughs in our understanding of this process have come through work with bacterial cells, as Peter Strike of Napier University describes.
Base pairing in RNA virus replication and host plant defence (page 12)
Ribonucleotides in RNA can base-pair to form double-stranded structures just as deoxyribonucleotides can in DNA. In virology, RNA-based replication has not been superseded and many viruses have RNA genomes. Mike Mayo of the Scottish Crop Research Institute describes how recent research has shown that host defence against plant virus infection can be 'switched on' by replication of the viral RNA.
Gene therapy in the treatment of disease (page 14)
Single gene defects in humans account for over 4000 inherited disorders. Such disorders can lead to severe and often fatal disease early in life or late onset debilitating disease in adults. Following the identification and linkage of a specific gene to a particular disorder it should be possible to correct a gene defect by supplying a fully functional copy of the gene to a particular cell. Delivery of nucleic acid to cells is not straightforward, but of the various methods in use, viruses currently have the edge over other systems. Stacey Efstathiou of Cambridge University focuses on viral vectors in his exploration of our current state of knowledge of gene therapy.
Come the revolution (page 16)
Microbial research has been revolutionized by the recent rapid progress in sequencing microbial genomes. Stephen Bentley of The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute explains how this revolution came about and describes the huge potential for the exploitation of whole genome data.
Artemis: the goddess of the hunt (page 19)
There are more than 350 bacterial genome sequencing projects currently in progress. A wealth of data is being generated and tools are needed to analyse it. At the Pathogen Sequencing Unit of The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, computer programs have been developed in-house which enable microbiologists to make sense of the huge volume of information now available. Nick Thomson describes Artemis, which is a genome viewer program, and ACT, which is a comparative genomic tool. He also covers the content of the popular one-day course in the use of these programs which he and his colleagues have been running for SGM members.
The influenza pandemic window - heroes and heroines of 1918-1919 (page 25)
More than 50 million people died across the globe in the 'flu pandemic that occurred at the end of the First World War. Whilst every town and village in the UK has a memorial to the troops who died fighting, the influenza casualties have gone unrecorded. To remedy this, eminent influenza virologist Professor John Oxford and his group commissioned a window from international glass artist Johannes Schreiter. The window in the Medical School Library, Whitechapel, is not only a tribute to the victims of the virus, but also to the heroes and heroines who looked after the sick and dying. It is also important to remember that the influenza virus remains one of the greatest killer diseases of mankind.
The significance of European Bat Lyssavirus infection in Great Britain (page 52)
A bat conservationist in Scotland died recently from a form of rabies after being bitten by an infected animal. This caused much media attention and Mary Warrell of the Centre for Tropical Medicine at the John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford considers how much of a risk bat lyssavirus does pose to human health in the UK.
Dr Montville's double helix seaman scarf (page 41)
A knitting pattern for molecular biologists who wish to create their own souvenir of the DNA anniversary.
Society for General Microbiology
DNA Current Events and DNA News RSSPossible Link Studied Between Childhood Abuse and Early Cellular Aging
Children who suffer physical or emotional abuse may be faced with accelerated cellular aging as adults, according to new research from Butler Hospital and Brown University.
Biologists discover bacterial defense mechanism against aggressive oxygen
Bacteria possess an ingenious mechanism for preventing oxygen from harming the building blocks of the cell.
Just like old times: Generating RNA molecules in water
A key question in the origin of biological molecules like RNA and DNA is how they first came together billions of years ago from simple precursors.
Gene mismatch influences success of bone marrow transplants
A commonly inherited gene deletion can increase the likelihood of immune complications following bone marrow transplantation, an international team of researchers reports in the November 22 advance online issue of Nature Genetics.
Scientists at UA, collaborating institutions decode maize genome
Scientists from the University of Arizona led by Arizona Genomics Institute director Rod A. Wing and from collaborating institutions have deciphered the complete genetic code of the maize plant for the first time.
Ancestry attracts, but love is blind
People preferentially marry those with similar ancestry, but their decisions are not necessarily based on hair, eye or skin colour.
Scientists unlock clues for tailoring corn plant for food, energy needs
Scientists have long known that the offspring of two inbred strains tend to be superior to both their parents. Now, a team of researchers including a University of Florida geneticist has discovered clues to why that might be the case for one of the most important crops in the world: corn.
Cigarettes Harbor Many Bacteria Harmful to Human Health
Cigarettes are "widely contaminated" with bacteria, including some known to cause disease in people, concludes a new international study conducted by a University of Maryland environmental health researcher and microbial ecologists at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon in France.
Technique finds gene regulatory sites without knowledge of regulators
A new statistical technique developed by researchers at the University of Illinois allows scientists to scan a genome for specific gene-regulatory regions without requiring prior knowledge of the relevant transcription factors.
Unknowlingly consuming endangered tuna
While most of us would never willingly consume a highly endangered species, doing so might be as easy as plucking sushi from a bento box.
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