Molecular ecology and polyphasic taxonomy of bacteria of environmental and agroindustrial importance

• Grant number: 98/05068-0
• Support type: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• Duration: October 01, 1999 - March 31, 2004
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Gilson Paulo Manfio
• Grantee: Gilson Paulo Manfio
• Home Institution: Centro Pluridisciplinar de Pesquisas Químicas, Biológicas e Agrícolas (CPQBA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Paulínia , SP, Brazil
• Co-Principal Investigators: Laura Maria Mariscal Ottoboni ; Maria Ines Zanoli Sato ; Vanderlei Perez Canhos
• Associated scholarship(s): 01/09990-6 - Analysis of strains of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans isolates of anthropic environments through RFLP and sequencing of RDNA 16s, BP.IC; 01/02057-2 - Molecular characterization of strains of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans isolates of anthropic environments, BP.MS; 01/03850-8 - Molecular diversity of thiobacilli from antropic environments, BP.TT; + associated scholarships 00/11900-2 - Anaerobic degradation of pentachlorophenol in estuary sediments: metabolic response of methanogenic Archaea and ion sulphate-reducing bacteria, BP.DR; 00/08653-3 - Thermoresistant acid bacteria involved in the processing of orange juices, BP.MS; 00/08323-3 - Contribution to the technological exploitation of the microbial studies carried out at the BIOTA-FAPESP Program: potential evaluation of the anaerobic degradation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in an horizontal-flow anaerobic immobilized biomass reactor innoculated with sediments from the Santos-São Vicente Estuary (State of Sâo Paulo), BP.DR; 00/07811-4 - Diversity of catabolic genes of xenobiotic degrading microorganisms in the Baixada Santista, SP, BP.DR; 00/08408-9 - Nitrogen fixing endophytic (Nfeb) and humus associated (Nfhb) bacteria: characterization and biotechnological applications, BP.TT; 00/05402-0 - Molecular characterization of nitrogen fixing bacteria associated with grasses of economic importance, BP.MS; 00/03657-0 - Distribution and biodiversity of biodegrading consortia of xenobotic compounds in the Baixada Santista, SP, BP.MS; 00/03470-8 - Polyphasic characterization of the biodiversity of degrading isolates of xenobiotic pollutants in the Baixada Santista, BP.MS; 00/04462-9 - Polyphasic taxonomy and preservation of microorganisms of environmental and agro-industrial importance, BP.TT; 99/10739-4 - Molecular ecology of bacteria associated with sediments under the impact of organochlorinated xenobiotic compounds in rivers of the Baixada Santista, SP, BP.DR; 99/11417-0 - Molecular characterization of Xanthomonas spp. phytopathogenic isolates of different hosts and geographical regions of the State of São Paulo, BP.PD - associated scholarships

Abstract

A limited number of research groups in the state of São Paulo (and Brazil as a whole) carry out applied microbiology research focused on the taxonomic characterization and technological exploration of the indigenous microbial diversity. Some of these include bioremediation of organochloride-polluted areas, biodigestion of recalcitrant compounds in industrial effluents, biological nitrogen fixation in non-leguminous agricultural crops and systematic studies of phytopathogenic bacteria of agricultural interest and bacterial contaminants of food processing industry. Taxonomic expertise and infra-structure for developing molecular taxonomic work were identified as key factors hampering the adequate development of most of these studies. Limiting factors ranged from phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characterization of organisms, to molecular typing of strains and phylogenetic analysis. Taxonomy is essential for the identification of the main components of the microbiota associated to biological processes and provides relevant information on the phenotypic and genomic diversity of the organisms. Isolated organisms for future study, whenever possible, need to be made available to the scientific community through deposit of strains in culture collections. In addition to focussing on the study of bacterial diversity for potential applications, an important element of this proposal is the establishment of a thematic network in the State of São Paulo for the development of polyphasic taxonomy and microbial molecular systematics. Several methodologies relevant to the development of the studies described below will be implemented in the project, including: 16S rDNA sequence analysis... (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SAIA, FLAVIA; DOMINGUES, MERCIA; PELLIZARI, VIVIAN; VAZOLLER, ROSANA. Occurrence of Methanogenic Archaea in Highly Polluted Sediments of Tropical Santos-So Vicente Estuary (So Paulo, Brazil). Current Microbiology, v. 60, n. 1, p. 66-70, JAN 2010. Web of Science Citations: 5.