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Background and Environment Affect Phenotype

Background and Environment Affect Phenotype

Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 28, 2025

Author Spotlight: Designing Simple and Inexpensive Techniques to Grow Methane-Oxidizing Bacteria in the Laboratory

Author Spotlight: Designing Simple and Inexpensive Techniques to Grow Methane-Oxidizing Bacteria in the Laboratory

Published on: September 6, 2024

Linking methanotroph phenotypes to genotypes using a simple spatially resolved model ecosystem.

Delaney G Beals¹, Aaron W Puri¹

¹Department of Chemistry and the Henry Eyring Center for Cell and Genome Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States.

The ISME Journal

|April 16, 2024

Summary

A novel model ecosystem reveals bacterial phenotypes missing from standard lab cultures. This system links bacterial genes to polysaccharide band formation in methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs).

Keywords:

methane methanotroph model ecosystem phenotypic heterogeneity

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Single-throughput Complementary High-resolution Analytical Techniques for Characterizing Complex Natural Organic Matter Mixtures

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Published on: January 7, 2019

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Environmental Science
Genetics

Background:

Linking bacterial genes to traits is difficult without environmental context.
Laboratory model ecosystems can better mimic natural conditions than planktonic cultures.
Aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs) thrive in methane-oxygen gradients.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a cost-effective model ecosystem for studying methanotrophs.
To investigate genotype-phenotype links in methanotrophs under simulated natural conditions.
To identify genes responsible for specific bacterial behaviors in a controlled environment.

Main Methods:

Constructed a laboratory model ecosystem simulating a methane-oxygen counter gradient.
Cultured Methylomonas sp. strain LW13 in the model ecosystem.
Analyzed transcriptomic data and created knockout strains to identify key genes.
Compared growth in the model ecosystem versus standard planktonic cultures.

Main Results:

Methanotrophs formed distinct polysaccharide bands at the methane-oxygen interface.
Band formation was due to increased polysaccharide production, not cell density.
Identified specific genes upregulated in the band, essential for band formation but not standard growth.
Different methanotrophic taxa exhibited unique band characteristics.

Conclusions:

The model ecosystem successfully mimics natural environments to reveal previously unobserved bacterial phenotypes.
This approach effectively links specific genes to environmental adaptations like polysaccharide band formation.
Phenotypes observed in this model system may be missed in standard laboratory culturing techniques.