Applied Microbiology - Modulo Microbiologia ambientale (laboratorio) (2008/2009)

Learning outcomes

The main objective of the laboratory part is to give to the students the fundamentals for the characterization of a microbial community in an environmental matrix polluted with metals or organic compounds throughout the application of culture-dependent and culture-indipendent approaches.

Characterization of a bacterial community from soils polluted either with Polyciclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) or inorganic and organic Pb compounds (in particular tetraethyllead).
The characterization will be carried out with both a culture-dependent and culture-independent approach starting both from the soil matrix and from bacterial strains previously isolated from the matrix.
PCR-DGGE (Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis) analysis will be performed starting from the soil samples. On the other hand the bacterial strains will be analysed in axenic culture for their capability to transform the inorganic forms of Pb, tetraethyllead and PAHs. Moreover a genotypic analysis on metal resistance genes and on genes involved in PAH degradation will be carried out both on soil matrix and on the bacterial strains.

Written Report about the results obtained