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Effect of light on fungal cells studied with
Phenotype MicroArrays, and Latest news about upcoming Florence Conference on Phenotype MicroArrays

  • Carbon source dependence of conidiation and its photostimulation in Hypocrea atroviridis. Friedl MA, Kubicek CP, Druzhinina IS. Research Area of Gene Technology and Applied Biochemistry, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Getreidemarkt 9-1665, A-1060 Vienna, Austria.

    In a very creative scientific work, these authors were the first to use PMs to study photomorphogenesis in an important fungal species. H. atroviridis is an important fungus because of its capabilities in cellulose degradation. In previous papers, the authors used PM technology to study and define its catabolic properties. In this paper they studied conidiation. A long held dogma of fungal spore formation was that light exposure was the key determining factor. However, by using PM technology and looking more broadly at diverse culture conditions, these researchers showed that carbon metabolism is the major trigger for conidiation and light plays a more minor role.

  • Florence Conference on Phenotype MicroArray Analysis of Microorganisms: The Environment, Agriculture, and Human Health. Polo Scientifico di Sesto Florentino, Florence, Italy, March 19-21, 2008.

    We hope that you are giving serious consideration to attending this exciting and unique conference. Don’t delay in registering. Attendance at this conference is limited because of the venue, so if you wait too long you may miss the opportunity. The deadline for early registration is Jan. 31 and the deadline for submission of abstracts is Feb. 28. The list of speakers has now been set. This and other information can be found on the conference website at: www.poloscitec.unifi.it/phenotype.

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    Brief description of PM technology

    Phenotype MicroArray™ technology tests cellular phenotypes. Included in the tests are assays of basic cellular nutritional pathways for C, N, P, and S metabolism, osmotic and pH and sensitivity, and sensitivity to chemical agents.

    The most common application is to assess the phenotypic effects of mutations. A change in genotype of a cell should lead to one or more changes in phenotype. PMs allow testing of knock-out or knock-in mutants to help discern the biological changes that occur consequent to genetic changes.

    Another common application is phenotypic characterization of a collection of related strains. For example, it is possible to determine the phenotypic relatedness of a collection of isolates of a given species. PM analysis has been successfully implemented for a wide variety of model microbial cells including Escherichia coli,

    Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas putida, Sinorhizobium meliloti, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Shewanella oneidensis, Proteus mirabilis, and many other species. In the last year, Biolog has successfully developed universal protocols that allow us to test most species of interest. Contact us for details.

    Phenotype MicroArray™ technology uses Biolog's OmniLog® instrument, which is also used for microbial identification. The OmniLog® automatically incubates, reads and interprets the Biolog Phenotype MicroArray MicroPlates™. It continuously processes samples but allows

    the user complete access at any time during a sample run. Samples can be loaded when ready and removed when complete without disturbing other samples still in-process. Inside the Reader there are 25 trays. Each tray holds 2 MicroPlates, giving the Reader a total capacity to incubate and read 50 MicroPlates. Before the user inoculates the appropriate MicroPlates, they log the MicroPlate information into the OmniLog® software.

    By simply following the software's instructions, the user then opens the door of the OmniLog® Reader and places each MicroPlate in the appropriate tray slot indicated by the software. Once all the MicroPlates are loaded and the door of the Reader is closed, the OmniLog® software takes over the responsibility for incubating, reading, saving, and printing the results. The OmniLog® PM System utilizes Windows-based software with an elegantly simple user interface. The status of all the samples can be observed by simply looking at the Read menu screen of the OmniLog® PM System software. All of the information for a specific MicroPlate is contained on a single line of this screen. Once the system has completed a specific MicroPlate it indicates this status with a check mark icon. A clock icon is used for those samples that are still incubating

    because a result has not yet been determined. The OmniLog® PM System's software is extremely flexible and can be integrated into virtually any laboratory's workflow. New MicroPlates can be entered into the Reader and MicroPlates that have already completed can be removed from the Reader at almost any time. This allows the user to either perform experiments one at a time or batch them.

    PM Technology and the OmniLog® instrument are ideal for a core facility or for purchase under a shared equipment grant.

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