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

Light sensitivity of methanogenic archaebacteria.

K D Olson1, C W McMahon, R S Wolfe

  • 1Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology
|September 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary

Certain methanogenic archaea are sensitive to light, with growth inhibited by blue light wavelengths. Unlike these microbes, common bacteria like Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium show tolerance to light under anaerobic conditions.

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

The Veterans Administration outpatient service.

Texas hospitals·2010
Same author

Expression and function of NK cell receptors in CD8+ T cells.

Current opinion in immunology·2001
Same author

Oxaloacetate synthesis in the methanarchaeon Methanosarcina barkeri: pyruvate carboxylase genes and a putative Escherichia coli-type bifunctional biotin protein ligase gene (bpl/birA) exhibit a unique organization.

Journal of bacteriology·2001
Same author

Rural and urban differences in patients with a dual diagnosis.

Schizophrenia research·2001
Same author

A GTP-dependent vertebrate-type phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase from Mycobacterium smegmatis.

The Journal of biological chemistry·2001
Same author

Regulation of the natural killer cell receptor repertoire.

Annual review of immunology·2001

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Archaea research
  • Bacteriology

Background:

  • Methanogenic archaea are crucial in anaerobic environments.
  • Understanding microbial responses to environmental factors like light is important for ecology and biotechnology.
  • Previous research has not extensively documented light sensitivity in methanogens.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the light sensitivity of various methanogenic archaea.
  • To compare the light tolerance of methanogenic archaea with facultative anaerobic eubacteria.
  • To identify the specific light wavelengths that inhibit methanogen growth.

Main Methods:

  • Culturing representatives from four families of methanogenic archaea.
  • Exposing cultures to specific light conditions, including anaerobic growth.
  • Utilizing interference filters to test different visible light spectrum wavelengths (370-430 nm).
  • Testing facultative anaerobic eubacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium) under identical conditions.

Main Results:

  • Four families of methanogenic archaea, including Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, Methanosarcina acetivorans, Methanococcus voltae, and Methanomicrobium mobile, demonstrated light sensitivity.
  • Facultative anaerobic eubacteria, specifically Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium, were tolerant to light when grown anaerobically.
  • Growth inhibition in methanogens was specifically linked to blue light, within the 370 to 430 nm range.

Conclusions:

  • Methanogenic archaea exhibit significant sensitivity to visible light, particularly in the blue spectrum.
  • This light sensitivity contrasts with the light tolerance observed in common anaerobic eubacteria.
  • The findings suggest that light exposure, especially blue light, can be a limiting factor for methanogen growth in certain environments.

Related Experiment Videos