Microbial Ultrastructure
One of the main goals
of
the Department is to isolate
and fully characterize microorganisms that are important in the
turnover of
matter in various habitats. A part of
such work involves the ultrastructural analysis of new isolates. This work has revealed an interesting, new
morphological structure, the connecting filament, that appears to be
produced
by certain bacteria. The connecting filament might enhance the ability
of cells
to (i) stay in close proximity to one another or (ii) produce biofilms.
Additional ultrastructural features of microorganisms that have been
examined
include spores, inclusion bodies, and cell surface structures.
Left: Clostridium
akagii, an acetogen
with connecting filaments; middle: ED1, a N2O-forming
isolate from the earthworm gut ; right: JF5 is an iron-reducing
isolate
from acidic lake sediment.
The ultrastructural analysis of isolates
is conducted together with
Prof. Dr. Georg Acker.