Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape MIC321

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Department of Biotechnology, University of the
Western CapeMIC321

• Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology

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Lecture 1.

• Module Introduction and Information
• Overview of environmental microbiology
• Origins of Life
• The Diversity of Life

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Module details are available on the departmental
web site

• http//www.biotechnology.uwc.ac.za/teaching/MIC321
  /

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Your teachers

• Professor Don Cowan Module Coordinator
• Dr Heide Goodman Lecturer, Tutor and
• Practical Coordinator
• Dr Gill Baker Lecturer and Tutor
• Mr Charles Gelderbloem Practical Supervisor

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Course Assessment

• Tests (2 x 50 minute short-answer) 20
• Practicals (7)
  35
• Essay (1)
  15
• End of module examination (1.5h) 30

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Course Texts

• Prescott et al. (1990) Microbiology, WCB Publ.
• An introductory text, good background but
  inadequate for the full module.
• Atlas Bartha (1998) Microbial Ecology, BC Publ.
• The primary course text, covering much of the
  course content.
• Higgins et al. (1985) Biotechnology, Blackwell
• Old, but comprehensive relevant to lectures
  19-23.

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Practical details.

• Practicals are held on Tuesdays (1100 1700h).
• The completed lab books should be handed in by
  12h00 on Friday 13th June 2003. Please present
  the lab book to Mr. Charles Gelderbloem
  (Department of Biotechnology, Room 121) who will
  issue you with a receipt.
• Lab books handed in after this time will be
  subject to a mark penalty of 15 per day.
• Attendance at practical classes and submission of
  experimental write-ups are essential
  pre-requisites for passing this course.
  Attendance in practicals will be monitored.

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Essay

• Describe the experimental methods used for
  determining microbial diversity in the
  environment
• Essays, which should be between 1500 and 3000
  words, should be handed in to Professor Cowan,
  room 128 by 1700h on Friday 13th June.
• Hand-written essays will not be accepted.
• A penalty of 15 per day will apply to late
  submissions.

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Plagarism and Copying

• Plagarism is the direct and unattributed use of
  others written material, and is unacceptable in
  any course-related work.
• Evidence of plagarism or copying will result in
  the mark allocation for the piece of work being
  withdrawn.

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Overview

• Microbes in the environment
• Microbes (bacteria, archaea, fungi, yeasts)
  inhabit virtually every niche available on this
  planet.
• A single gram of garden soil contains
  gt100,000,000 microbial cells, of 100 1000
  different species.
• A human body harbours more than 1 billion
  microbial cells.
• Approx. 100,000 known species.
• True species diversity is estimated to be 106 to
  107.
• Microorganisms are involved in all virtually all
  global processes (e.g., elemental cycling)
• Microorganisms play an vitally important role in
  Biotechnology (e.g., antibiotics, fermentation
  processes, expression hosts, bioremediation).

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The scope of microbial life
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Despite temperatures ranging from 5 to 70oC
and water contents below 2, Antarctic
terrestrial soils contain 106 108 cells per
gram.
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Large populations of hyperthermophilic bacteria
and archaea live in boiling hydrothermal systems.
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Red-pigmented haloarchaea in a commercial saltern
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Lake Vostok, Antarctica 6000m below surface
level. Ice core samples from 3-5km contain
culturable bacteria.
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Global N cycling (values in Megatons)
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Microorganisms in Biotechnology

• Commercial products
• Bread, wine, beer, soy sauce
• Industrial processing
• Bioconversions, expression and production
  systems, energy sources
• Medicine and health
• Antibiotics and therapeutics, vaccine
  production, probiotics
• Agriculture and Environment
• Biodegradation, bioremediation, pest control

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Origins and Evolution of Life

• The Earth has been habitable for the past 4.2 Bn
  years

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The evolution of living systems
Origins of life
Microbial life
Higher life forms
O2-N2 atmosphere
CO2-N2 atmosphere
Possible life - 4.2Bn Yrs
Oxygen appears
Multicellular life
Animals
Evidence of life
Accretion and cooling
Now
1.0
3.0
4.0
2.0
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Evolutionary Processes
Primordial soup CHNOPS
Abiotic processes
Synthesis of Macromolecules Membranes energy
capture Enzymes catalytic systems Nucleic acids
replication system
First protocell
?
Prebiotic compounds acetate, amines, urea,
amino acids, pyrimidines, etc
The evolutionary black box
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The first cell
CO2
Energy capture
Information storage
Catalytic structures
H2, FeII, S-2
H2O, FeIII, So
Replication and Expression
CHO
Inorganic structures such as clay minerals, FeS
membranes may have been involved.
Semi-permeable barrier- membrane
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The diversity of life