Discover and cultivate square bacteria

Australian scientists have successfully implanted the square bacteria found in salt lakes that have confounded scientists for a quarter of a century.

Research by graduate student Dr. David Burns, Dr. Mike Dyall-Smith and others from the University of Melbourne, the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, opened the door to a wide range of ideas. Important meaning about Australian ecology, widespread popularity of microorganisms in salt lakes.

Stephen was recently published a report (FEMS Microbiology Letters) on the first successful 'Walsby's square bacteria' transplant (the name of the British microbiologist after their discovery in 1980).

British microbiologist Anthony Walsby first isolated these blocks from a salt lake near the Red Sea in 1980. They are rectangular in shape. Since then, laboratory implantation has become the target of many microbiologists, but they all fail.

Bacteria are the most abundant species found in salt lakes and they are thought to be the cause of a special red color. Example of the Pink Lakes at urray-Sunset National Park, Victoria. Unlike other bacteria, they look like perfect squares, like small pieces of tile when viewed through a microscope.

Two research groups of Henk Bolhuis, of the University of Groningen, the Netherlands and Mike Dyall Smith, at the University of Melbourne, Australia, have found a square culture formula.

Dr. Mike Dyall-Smith

Dr Dyall-Smith said: "They are the majority of microorganisms in salt lakes, their metabolic activities are important for ecology as they make most of the Organic nutrients turn into other compounds, including greenhouse gazes . "

The result could also help scientists study life in extremely harsh environments, such as on the magnesium rich seas of Jupiter's Europa and Ganymede satellites.

To facilitate research, it is necessary to raise them in the laboratory, but since their discovery 25 years ago, no one has been able to accomplish this.

He said: "This makes environmental microbiological researchers confused because the most visible microorganisms in salt lakes and are the most bizarre shaped microorganisms ever. culture in the laboratory Other bacteria in salt lakes can be grown but not this square.

Dr. Dyall-Smith and his colleagues, despite losing the Australian Research Council (ARC), have just published the first description of how to transplant square bacteria in the lab, providing the first and final evidence that they are the same cells as other bacteria. Dr Dyall-Smith said that the bacteria are extremophile (like harshness), meaning they adapt to live in saturated salt water, and belong to the third main stream, meaning Archaea.

The important thing about the way is "the less nutritional the better." They have successfully cultivated these bacteria with very low nutrient density. Because when the nutrient increases, other bacteria will grow to dominate the very slow square bacteria.

Farming environment must also be salty. In addition, researchers must also be extremely patient. Bolhui's group took two and a half years to obtain pure bacteria. That's because this bacterium grows very slowly, only 1-2 days can produce one generation (Echerichia Coli 20 minutes).

"Currently we are in an interesting time because we can study the idiosyncrasies of these organisms, such as transplanting them very hard, why they succeed in their natural environment. and make them react to other microorganisms'.

"Why are they square? We don't know, but at least now we're on the way to discover them."