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Exploring Diversity Of Nitrate Reducing Thermophiles In Nevada Hot Springs, Jenny Lam, Jeremy A. Dodsworth, Brian P. Hedlund
Exploring Diversity Of Nitrate Reducing Thermophiles In Nevada Hot Springs, Jenny Lam, Jeremy A. Dodsworth, Brian P. Hedlund
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
High rates of denitrification have been measured in Nevada geothermal hot springs, but little is known about the thermophiles that contribute to this activity. We hypothesize that heterotrophic bacteria in the genus Thermus are the most important denitrifiers in the springs. Alternatively, other microorganisms including chemolithotrophs may also be important. To test these hypotheses, several different strategies will be used to try to enrich and isolate nitrate-reducing microorganisms. Isolates will be identified by 16S rRNA gene PCR and sequencing. Subsequently, representative isolates will be chosen for nitrate reductase gene (narG) sequencing and for studies on the kinetics of nitrate reduction …
Genomic Foundations Of Carbon Fixation In Bacteria Living In Hot Springs, Rachel K. Skinner, Brian P. Hedlund, Jeremy A. Dodsworth
Genomic Foundations Of Carbon Fixation In Bacteria Living In Hot Springs, Rachel K. Skinner, Brian P. Hedlund, Jeremy A. Dodsworth
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
Photosynthesis does not occur above 73°C, so organisms living above this temperature must obtain useable carbon by some other mechanism. It is generally assumed that carbon is fixed by thermophiles through the process of chemolithoautotrophy; however, primary production has never been demonstrated to occur in hot springs >73°C. We have shown that two organisms, Thermocrinis and Pyrobaculum, make up more than 90% of the cells in an 80°C Great Basin hot spring, Great Boiling Spring. We hypothesize that these organisms fix carbon in the hot spring via the reverse tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle. To test this hypothesis we will: i) …