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| Titel |
Simultaneous imaging of microbial identity and function by NanoSIMS |
| VerfasserIn |
Niculina Musat, Birgit Adam, Marcel Kuypers |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2011
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 13 (2011) |
| Datensatznummer |
250057161
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| Zusammenfassung |
| Microorganisms are key players driving the biogeochemical cycling of elements on our
planet. Understanding the role of microbes and their involvement in a certain biogeochemical
process as active members of microbial communities by establishing the link between
microbial identity and metabolic activity remains a major gap in our ability to explore the
microbial world. Recent technological advancements in mass spectrometry have created
new research opportunities in biogeosciences by the development of imaging mass
spectrometry. Such an example is nanometer-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry
(nanoSIMS) which can provide high lateral resolution and sensitivity at micron and
sub-micron level and was successfully used to image metabolically active microbial
cells. Here we describe a novel method that combines nanoSIMS, stable isotope
labeling and halogen in situ hybridization (HISH) for simultaneous imaging of
identity and function of single microbial cells in the environment. Our results show
the huge potential of this combined approach for both molecular ecologists and
biogeochemists by providing access to the ecophysiology of microorganisms in situ, as
well as for traditional microbiologists, by offering insight into the physiology of
microorganisms obtained in cultures and enrichments. We show examples of studies
where 15N and 13C isotope labeling experiments were conducted, followed by
halogen in situ hybridization and nanoSIMS analysis to identify microorganisms
responsible for anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation, nitrogen and carbon assimilation, and
to quantify uptake rates and nutrient fluxes in complex microbial communities. |
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