Microorganisms living on earth are involved in the circulation of mass and energy on earth. Microorganisms express their own unique characteristics and functions depending on their environmental habitats, including natural environment, extreme environment, internal environment of animals. Prof. Tanji provides analytical methods of microbial flora in environments and its practical application. Prof. Nakamura provides extremophiles and structures and functions of enzymes produced by extremophiles. Prof. Wachi provides isolation and identification of soil microbes, and its application, including screening of antibiotics and bioremediation. Prof. Hongoh provides metagenomics and single-cell genomics of uncultured microbes.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Understand the effect of material and energy circulation on the earth environment
2. Application of microbial functions on bioremediation, agriculture, and mass production
3. Understand the function and application of extremophiles
4. Understand the structure of environmental microbes and its analysis
Microbial flora, Wastewater treatment, Microbial corrosion, Pathogenic micoorganism, Extremophiles, Bioremediation, Uncultured microbes, Metagenomics
✔ Specialist skills | ✔ Intercultural skills | Communication skills | ✔ Critical thinking skills | ✔ Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
In the first half of the class, a summary of the previous lecture is given. In the latter half, the main points of the day’s lecture are discussed in detail. Students are recommended to check the required learning for each class as part of preparation and review.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | Circulation of material and energy in surface of the earth concerned with microbial activities | Students must be able to recognize the reservoirs involved material circulation in the earth surface and evaluate effect of material and energy balance between reservoirs on the environment |
Class 2 | Dynamic models of ecosystem | Understanding of population ecology of single and double species |
Class 3 | Wastewater treatment process and microbiologically influenced corrosion | Understanding of mechanism and process of wastewater treatment, and microbiologically influenced corrosion |
Class 4 | Pathogenic microbes and its control | Students must be able to recognize the variation pathogenic microbes and their control |
Class 5 | Extreme environments and extremophiles | Explain extremophiles living under extreme environments |
Class 6 | Thermophiles and their enzymes | Explain the thermotolerant mechanisms of thermophiles and their enzymes |
Class 7 | Halophiles and their enzymes | Explain the halotolerant mechanisms of halophiles and their enzymes |
Class 8 | Alkaliphiles and their enzymes | Explain the alkalitolerant mechanisms of alkaliphiles and their enzymes |
Class 9 | Isolation and identification of soil microbes | Understand the methods of isolation and determination of soil microbes |
Class 10 | Microorganisms producing medicines: Actinomycetes and fungi | Understand antibiotics production by actinomycetes and fungi |
Class 11 | Microbial bioremediation | Understand the bioremediation |
Class 12 | Application of microorganisms for agriculture | Understand what microbial pesticides are |
Class 13 | Culture-independent analysis of uncultured microbes | Understand the uncultured microbes |
Class 14 | Metagenomics and single-cell genomics | Understand the metagenomics |
Class 15 | Functional analysis of uncultured gut micobes | Unserstand the gut micobes |
None required.
Brock Biology of Microorganisms (14th edition)
Handouts will be distributed at the beginning of class when necessary and elaborated on using PowerPoint slides.
Reports or exams by each instructor.
No prerequisites are necessary, but enrollment in the related courses is desirable.
Yasunori Tanji (ytanji[at]bio.titech.ac.jp, 5763), Stoshi Nakamura (snakamur[at]bio.titech.ac.jp, 5765), Masaaki Wachi (mwachi[at]bio.titech.ac.jp, 5770), Yuichi Hongoh (yhongo[at]bio.titech.ac.jp, 2865)
Students may approach the instructors at the end of class or visit their offices upon securing an appointment through e-mail.