Survival and Persistence Traits in Soil Pseudomonads

目前正在评估细菌作为改善环境的生物修复剂的作用。如果携带可以解毒环境中有毒元素的基因的细菌能够在污染的环境中生存，这些对人类有害的元素就可以有效和经济地消除。然而，人们对用于这一目的的生物的命运有相当大的担忧。该项目的重点是确定与微生物的生存和持久性有关的基因及其产物。该模型是土壤环境中的土壤假单胞菌，因为目前正在考虑将假单胞菌释放到环境中，而且遗传学和遗传技术在这种有机体中并不是很好地建立和可行的。这项工作旨在确定可以操纵(增加、减少或灭活)以控制细菌生存的重要特征。除了这项工作的实际应用外，关于细菌生存和持续所需的那些特征的知识将对其他地方的细菌生态系统具有巨大的洞察力。

Bacteria are currently being evaluated as agents of bioremediation in improving the environment. If bacteria bearing genes which can detoxify toxic elements in the environment can survive in contaminated environments, these human hazardous elements can be eliminated efficiently and economically. There is considerable concern, however, about the fate of organisms used for the purpose. This project focuses on identifying genes and their products which are linked to the survival and persistence of microbial organisms. The model is soil pseudomonades in a soil environment, since pseudomonades are currently being considered for release in to the environment and because genetics and genetic techniques are not well established and feasible in this organism. The work aims to identify important traits which can be manipulated (increased, decreased or inactivated) so as to control bacterial survival. Besides the practical applications of this work, the knowledge of those traits needed for bacterial survival and persistence will be of tremendous insight to bacterial ecologic systems elsewhere.