BS33920 - MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY, BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

Module Identifier

BS33920

Module Title

MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY, BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

Academic Year

2003/2004

Co-ordinator

Dr Michael K Winson

Semester

Semester 1

Other staff

Dr David J Hopper, Dr Gareth W Griffith, Dr Hazel M Davey, Dr Lesley N Manchester, Dr Mustak A Kaderbhai, Professor Michael Young, To Be Arranged

Course delivery

Lecture

30 Hours

Seminars / Tutorials

Seminar. 3

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment Length/Details	Proportion
Semester Exam	2 Hours	60%
Semester Assessment	One computational exercise on Microbial growth to be submitted on Thursday 13 November 2003 and one Essay to be submitted on Thursday 4 December 2003.	40%
Supplementary Exam	2 Hours	100%

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module students will:

Be familiar with the growth of microorganisms in artificial culture, appreciate how their growth is inhibited and how their physiology will change depending on the environment they inhabit

be aware of the immense metabolic versatility of bacteria and fungi, which allows them to be capable of growth almost anywhere

be aware of the current research strategies in the industrial sector that exploit microbial bioprocesses to over-produce many medically and economically important compounds

appreciate that individual bacteria cells can communicate and regulate their physiology using signalling molecules

appreciate the methods used for studying heterogenous bacterial populations.

Aims

In the post-genomic era microbial physiology and biochemistry are of paramount importance and this module will provide theoretical training in the processes involved in microbial growth and its control. The content will emphasise the immense diverse environments that microbes inhabit and how this unlimited source of biological activity can be exploited for biotechnological purposes. Basic foundation in microbial metabolism including examples of biochemical diversity and illustrations of industrial bioprocesses, microbial biotransformations and bioremediation will be included.

Content

The lectures cover the following topics:

Introduction to the ubiquity of microbes.
Nutrition of microorganisms.
Definitions of how organisms are grouped based on physiological parameters.
Growth of microorganisms in artificial culture.
Inhibition of growth and death.
Microbes in the environment.
Diversity of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism.
Diversity of microbial fermentations.
Bacteria as individuals rather than a population.
Screening for new metabolites and strain development.
Industrial methods of fermentation and downstream product recovery.
Industrial processes using microorganisms, with worked examples.
Microbial biotransformations.

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Moat, A.G. & Foster, J.W. (1995) Microbial Physiology 3rd. New York: Wiley-Liss.
Neidhardt, F.C. Ingraham, J.L. & Schaechter, M. (1990) Physiology of the bacterial cell : a molecular approach Massachusetts: Sinauer.
Nicholls, D.G & Fergusson, S.J. (1992) Bioenergetics 2 Academic press.
Schlegel, H.G. (1986) General microbiology 6th. Cambridge University Press.
Bu'Lock, J. & Kristiansen, B. (1987) Basic Biotechnology New York: Academic Press.
Crueger, W. & Crueger, A. (1989) Biotechnology: A textbook of industrial microbiology Massachusetts: Sinauer.
Dawes, A.E. (1986) Microbial energetics Blackie.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6