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, and internal environment of animals. Prof. Tanji provides analytical methods of microbial flora in environments and its practical application. Prof. Nakamura and Asoc. Prof. Yatsunami provide extremophiles, 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 | Extreme environments and extremophiles (Introduction); Thermophiles, alkaliphiles and their enzymes | Explain the thermotolerant and alkalitolerant mechanisms of thermophiles, alkaliphiles and their enzymes |
Class 2 | Piezophiles and their enzymes | Understanding of population ecology of single and double species |
Class 3 | Halophiles and their enzymes | Explain the halotolerant mechanisms of halophiles and their enzymes |
Class 4 | Organic-solvent-tolerant microorganisms and their enzymes | Explain the organic-solvent-tolerant mechanisms of organic-solvent-tolerant microorganisms and their enzymescontrol |
Class 5 | Isolation and identification of soil microbes | Understand the methods of isolation and determination of soil microbes |
Class 6 | Microorganisms producing medicines: Actinomycetes | Understand antibiotics production by actinomycetes |
Class 7 | Microbial bioremediation | Understand the bioremediation |
Class 8 | Application of microorganisms in industry | Understand microbial fermentation |
Class 9 | Culture-independent analysis of uncultured microbes | Explain how to analyze the community structure of uncultured microbiota |
Class 10 | Metagenomics and single-cell genomics | Explain what are the metagenomics and single-cell genomics |
Class 11 | Functional analysis of symbiotic gut microbiota | Explain the physiology and ecology of the gut microbiota |
Class 12 | 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 13 | Dynamic models of ecosystem | Understanding of population ecology of single and double species |
Class 14 | Wastewater treatment process and microbiologically influenced corrosion | Understanding of mechanism and process of wastewater treatment, and microbiologically influenced corrosion |
Class 15 | Pathogenic microbes and its control | Students must be able to recognize the variation pathogenic microbes and their control |
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.