IDENTIFYING NOVEL COMPONENTS INVOLVED IN THE GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF THE COLD- AND PRESSURE-LOVING MARINE BACTERIUM, PHOTOBACTERIUM PROFUNDUM

尽管海洋的平均深度约为4000米，施加的平均水压超过380个大气压，水温从1-300摄氏度不等，但仍然可以找到被称为嗜压微生物的嗜压微生物。嗜压微生物已经适应了在极端条件下的最佳生长，但他们做到这一点的机制却鲜为人知。为了应对极端情况，预计嗜压菌将生产新的细胞组件，这些组件可能对工业过程具有重要意义。因此，有必要更多地了解高压以及在某些情况下极端温度下嗜压菌生长的基础。嗜寒耐压细菌深部光杆菌已被用作理解压力菌生长的模型系统。这种细菌是一个理想的模型系统，因为尽管它在高压下生长最好，但它可以在大气压下生长。此外，发光细菌DNA的测序工作已经接近完成，已经开发了一些工具来操作DNA。初步研究表明，发光菌外表面的成分似乎对低温和高压生长很重要。因此，这项研究的目的是表征发光菌的表面成分，并调查这些结构的变化如何在极端情况下影响生命。这项研究可能会确定新的表面成分，这可能对生物技术很重要。此外，这项研究还可以为研究嗜压菌生长的基础提供重要的见解，而且由于发光菌被认为是一种中等程度的嗜压菌，它也将为研究更极端的嗜压菌提供一个有用的起点。最后，由于食品工业正在发展压力灭菌，这些研究也可能有助于更好地了解压力对微生物生长影响的因素。

Despite the average depth of the oceans being around 4000m, which exert an average water pressure of greater than 380 atmospheres, and water temperatures ranging from 1-300oC, pressure-loving microorganisms known as piezophiles can be found. Piezophiles have adapted to grow optimally under extreme conditions, yet the mechanisms by which they do so are poorly understood. To cope with extremes, it is expected that piezophiles will produce novel cellular components and that these components could potentially be important for industrial processes. Thus, there is a need to understand more about the basis of high-pressure, and in some cases extreme temperature, growth of piezophiles. The cold- and pressure-loving bacterium, Photobacterium profundum, has been adopted as a model system to understand piezophile growth. This bacterium is an ideal model system since, although it grows optimally at high pressure, it can grow at atmospheric pressure. Additionally, the sequencing of Photobacterium DNA is nearly complete and a number of tools have been developed to manipulate the DNA. Preliminary studies indicate that components on the outer surface of Photobacterium appear to be important for cold- and high pressure-growth. Thus, the aims of this research are to characterize Photobacterium surface components and to investigate how changes in these structures affects life at the extremes. This study could potentially identify novel surface components, which could be important for biotechnology. Additionally, this study could also provide important insights into the basis of piezophile growth and, since Photobacterium is considered to be a moderate piezophile, it will also provide a useful starting point for investigations into more extreme piezophiles. Lastly, since pressure sterilization is being developed by the food industry, these studies could also lead to a better understanding of factors influencing the effect of pressure on microoganism growth.