The Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria: Contemporary Perspectives: (Brock Springer Series in Contemporary Bioscience)

Sulfate-reducing bacteria comprise a diverse and ecologically interactive group of anaerobic prokaryotes which share an extraordinary trait: growth by sulfate respiration with hydrogen sulfide as a major end-product. Sulfate-reducers are found in diverse environments ranging from estuaries to geological oil-bearing formations. They have attracted considerable scientific and commercial interest. These organisms have been actively investigated by researchers in microbial energetics, protein chemistry, ecology and more recently molecular biology. This interest has increased greatly over the past decade, and this volume presents the first book-length summary of our knowledge of sulfate-reducing bacteria in nearly 10 years. Featuring an introduction by the eminent microbiologist John Postgate and comprehensive reviews from recognized authorities, this book will be of interest to microbiologists with interests in physiology, evolution, and ecology.

Table of Contents:
1 The Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria: An Overview.- 1.1 Introduction.- 1.2 Metabolic Considerations.- 1.3 Laboratory Manipulations of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 1.4 Taxonomic Considerations.- 1.5 Importance of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 1.6 Summary.- 2 Carbon Metabolism of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Energy Substrates of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 2.3 Degradation of Various Organic Compounds in the Presence of Sulfate.- 2.4 Fermentative Capacities of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 2.5 Storage Polymers.- 2.6 Some Aspects of Carbon Assimilation.- 2.7 Summary and Concluding Remarks.- 3 Bioenergetic Strategies of the Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 General Bioenergetic Considerations.- 3.3 Unique Biochemical and Physiological Aspects of the Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 3.4 Enzymes and Proteins Involved in Respiratory Sulfate Reduction.- 3.5 Hydrogen Utilization.- 3.6 Fermentation of Inorganic Sulfur Compounds.- 3.7 Hydrogen Production by Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 3.8 Intracellular H2 Transfer or H2 Cycling.- 3.9 Conclusions.- 4 Genetics of the Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Considerations for Development of a Genetic System.- 4.3 Desulfovibrio Bacteriophages.- 4.4 Conjugation of Desulfovibrio.- 4.5 Electroporation of Desulfovibrio.- 4.6 Summary.- 5 Molecular Biology of the Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Cloning, Sequencing, and Expression of Desulfovibrio Genes.- 5.3 Hydrogenase Genes.- 5.4 Genes for c-Type Cytochromes.- 5.5 Construction of a Gene Library for Dv. vulgaris Hildenborough for Rapid Gene Cloning and Genome Mapping.- 5.6 Genes for Cytoplasmic Electron Carriers.- 5.7 Nitrogen Fixation by Desulfovibrio.- 5.8 Summary and Future Perspectives.- 6 Phylogeny of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria and aPerspective for Analyzing Their Natural Communities.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 16S Ribosomal RNA Sequence Comparisons.- 6.3 Sulfate-Reducing Archaea.- 6.4 Phylogenetic Relationships among Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 6.5 Application of 16S rRNA Sequences to Determinative and Ecological Studies.- 6.6 Summary.- 7 Ecological Actions of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Experimental Approaches to Microbial Ecology.- 7.3 Balanced Metabolic and Ecological Processes.- 7.4 Metabolic Diversity of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 7.5 Methodology.- 7.6 Substrates for SRA in situ.- 7.7 Interactions with Methane-Producing Bacteria.- 7.8 Aerobic SRA.- 7.9 Conclusion.- 8 Industrial and Environmental Activities of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 8.1 Introduction.- 8.2 Historical Perspective.- 8.3 The Oil and Gas Industry.- 8.4 Detection and Identification of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.- 8.5 Corrosion of Iron and Steel: Mechanisms.- 8.6 Anaerobic Corrosion and Sulfate Reducers: Commercial Cures.- 8.7 Environmental Activities: The Sulfur Cycle.- 8.8 Sulfur Cycling and Sewage Treatment.- 8.9 Anaerobic Transformations of Mercury.- 8.10 Transformation of Other Industrial Pollutants.- 8.11 Conclusions.- References.