Anaerobic chamber system for culturing and characterizing novel anaerobic microorganisms from unique ecosystems

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Anaerobic chambers enable the safe isolation, incubation and examination of anaerobic microorganisms which require oxygen-free environments. The anaerobic chamber requested will support the isolation, identification and characterization  of anaerobic microorganisms by the research groups of Drs. Whyte, Bede, and Driscoll. Whyte's research team examines microbial biodiversity and ecology in unique habitats (permafrost/ground ice, cold saline springs, microbial sea-ice matts) in the Canadian high Arctic using both classical microbiology and novel genomics-based molecular techniques. Ongoing culture independent studies have indicated that these environments harbour novel anaerobic 16S rRNA phylotypes related to methanogens, anaerobic methane oxidizing bacteria, sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB), and anaerobic halophilic Archaea. Whyte's lab would use the anaerobic chamber to isolate and characterize anaerobic strains from these environments as well as conduct anaerobic activity assays with permafrost and saline spring samples. This will enable us to define anaerobic microbial activity and growth at ultra-low temperatures and lead to a greater understanding of the potential roles such psychrophilic anaerobic microorganisms play in nutrient cycling and biogeochemical processes in these cryoenvironments, particularly permafrost. Bede is interested in plant-insect interactions, specifically in understanding the regulation of plant defense responses to target the insect herbivore. This involves the recognition of the herbivore, which is mediated by elicitors in the insect oral secretions. Recently, it has been shown that the bacterial gut flora effects the elicitors in the caterpillar regurgitant and, hence, plant defense responses. Bede's laboratory would use the anaerobic chamber to in isolate and identifying anaerobic bacteria in the caterpillar gut and determining whether they can catalyze the formation of fatty acid-amino acid elicitors. Driscoll's research group studies symbiotic nitrogen fixation, an anaerobic biochemical process in the Sinorhizobium meliloti - alfalfa system.  An anaerobic growth chamber will allow Driscoll's group to study legume root nodules and bacteroids in an anaerobic environment, as is optimal for some physiological studies.