Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Analysis of BIOLOG GN Substrate Utilization Patterns by Microbial Communities.

K Smalla1, U Wachtendorf, H Heuer

  • 1Biologische Bundesanstalt für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, D-38104 Braunschweig, Germany, and Center for Microbial Ecology and Department of Microbiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology
|December 14, 2005
PubMed
Summary

BIOLOG GN plates assess microbial carbon source utilization, but may not reflect the full potential of the original microbial community. Fast-growing bacteria can dominate BIOLOG patterns, skewing results.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Test of CP Symmetry in the Neutral Decays of Λ via J/ψ→ΛΛ[over ¯].

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

Precise Measurement of the Chromoelectric Dipole Moment of the Charm Quark.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

Precise Measurement of Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry with Entangled Hyperon-Antihyperon Pairs.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

[Application of AlphaFold3 in screening nanobodies against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> enterotoxin C].

Zhonghua liu xing bing xue za zhi = Zhonghua liuxingbingxue zazhi·2026
Same author

Observation of Λ[over ¯]p→K^{+}π^{+}π^{-}π^{0} and Λ[over ¯]p→K^{+}π^{+}π^{-}2π^{0}.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

First Measurement of the D_{s}^{+}→K^{0}μ^{+}ν_{μ} Decay.

Physical review letters·2026

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Environmental Science

Background:

  • BIOLOG GN plates are common tools for microbial community characterization.
  • These plates assess carbon source oxidation capabilities.
  • The accuracy of BIOLOG assays in reflecting true catabolic potential is questioned.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if BIOLOG GN plate assays accurately represent the catabolic potential of microbial inocula.
  • To investigate which microbial populations influence BIOLOG patterns.
  • To compare microbial diversity in inocula versus BIOLOG wells.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized BIOLOG GN plates for carbon source utilization assays.
  • Employed denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Assessed 16S rRNA gene diversity in microbial communities from potato rhizosphere and activated sludge.

    • Main Results:

    • TGGE revealed a loss of numerically dominant populations in BIOLOG wells compared to the inoculum.
    • Dominant fragments in BIOLOG wells were often from gamma-Proteobacteria, suggesting fast-growing bacteria influenced results.
    • Activated sludge communities showed enrichment of certain populations, but not all original dominant populations were detected.

    Conclusions:

    • Carbon source utilization profiles from BIOLOG GN plates may not accurately reflect the functional potential of the numerically dominant members of the inoculum.
    • Fast-growing bacteria can disproportionately influence BIOLOG assay outcomes.
    • Microbial community structure shifts during BIOLOG incubation, impacting interpretation of catabolic potential.