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News Release 04-011
Microbial Biofilm Yields Community Genomes, Metabolic Clues
Research from Iron Mountain mine sheds light on acid drainage
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Acidic drainage from a mine flows on the surface after passing through the underground study site at Iron Mountain, near Redding, Calif.
Credit: Gene Tyson, UC Berkeley
This FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) image of the microbial biofilm shows the cells of Leptospirillum group II in yellow, Leptospirillum group III in white, archaea in blue, sulfobacillus in red, and eukaryotes in green. From the biofilm sample, two near-complete and three partial genomes were recovered.
Credit: Gene Tyson, UC Berkeley
This FISH image of the biofilm - showing Leptospirillum in yellow, archae in blue, and Sulfobacillus in green - is surrounded by a representation of a genome sequence that indicates genes by colored bars.
Credit: Gene Tyson and Jill Banfield, UC Berkeley
How did researchers get samples of the pink biofilm from a toxic drainage deep in the mine? Very carefully.
Credit: Brett Baker