Classic Spotlight: 16S rRNA Redefines Microbiology

Classic Spotlight: Discovery of ftsZ.

Cytokinesis (cell division, fission, and septation) in bacteria is driven by a ring-shaped organelle containing dozens of distinct proteins. Among these, FtsZ plays preeminent roles in assembly and function of the organelle. FtsZ is also the first recognized cytoskeletal protein in prokaryotes and the likely progenitor of the tubulins. The discovery of ftsZ was inherently important. It also nic...

16S rRNA gene sequencing and the routine clinical microbiology laboratory: a perfect marriage?

Classic Spotlight: Look, Max-No Math Required!

In 1952, Joshua and Esther Lederberg published a paper in the Journal of Bacteriology (1) that fully legitimized bacteria as genetic organisms, no different in principle from pea plants or fruit flies. In all cases, mutations are precipitous events that can generate stepwise changes in phenotype. The Lederbergs’ report first described the method of replica plating, now a venerable microbiologic...

Classic Spotlight: a Window on Multicellular Development.

In response to nutrient deprivation, myxobacteria form multicellular fruiting bodies filled with spores. These macroscopic aggregates of soil bacteria have intrigued microbiologists since the late 19th century. In recent decades, Myxococcus xanthus has served as a model organism for cellular and molecular studies aimed at characterizing social interactions, intercellular communication, motility...

Phylogenetic clustering of soil microbial communities by 16S rRNA but not 16S rRNA genes.

We evaluated phylogenetic clustering of bacterial and archaeal communities from redox-dynamic subtropical forest soils that were defined by 16S rRNA and rRNA gene sequences. We observed significant clustering for the RNA-based communities but not the DNA-based communities, as well as increasing clustering over time of the highly active taxa detected by only rRNA.