Archae and Bacteria Consortia Analyzed for the First Time (IMAGE)
Caption
This image complements a PNAS paper released June 28, 2016 featuring a collaboration between Caltech and DOE Joint Genome Institute researchers. (Details) While typically thought of as solitary life forms, microbes frequently aggregate to form dense cell clusters. This often serves to achieve a common goal that cannot be reached by individual cells acting alone. The depicted cell consortia are composed of archaea and bacteria that, by combining their individual metabolic powers, together achieve oxidation of the greenhouse gas methane in the absence of oxygen. For the first time, these consortia have now been analyzed for their protein synthesis activity under a variety of conditions. In this image, nucleic acids within individual cells are stained in blue. Green color indicates that new proteins have been made. The scale bar equals 10 micrometer, or 1/8th the width of a human hair.
Credit
Roland Hatzenpichler
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