lution can still be found in micro-organisms,” says Kurt Hanselmann, geomicrobiologist at the ETH Zurich and an expert on biocommunities in extreme locations. It is precisely these extremists that sometimes exhibit useful characteristics. An example is the bacterium Thermus aquaticus, which was isolated from the 70ºC water of a geyser in Yellowstone National Park in the USA. It led to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, the method used to copy
of this highly contagious disease. Nowadays sprays of the antibiotic streptomycin are used to treat infected orchards, which is not without problems due to the danger of resistance developing. Diverse natural enemies from the microbe world are being used against the bacterial pathogen. A promising candidate is Pantoea agglomerans, which is reputedly highly effective. Precise identification of the strains that are suitable for biological pest control is critical, however, as there are also human
Micro-organisms have been a biological resource for humankind since ancient times. the chemical substance of heredity, DNA. PCR is one of the most important processes of molecular biology. With PCR, genetic diseases or viral infections can be identified, and genetic fingerprints can be created and used to identify suspects who left trace amounts of skin particles behind at crime scenes. To make copies of double-stranded DNA, it must first be separated into two single strands, which requires temperatures of 96°C. Thermus aquaticus provides the necessary enzyme, which is still able to function even at this temperature. Beer, bread, and biological pest control. Micro-
organisms have been a biological resource for humankind since ancient times. The first pictorial illustration of their use is 5000 years old: ancient Egyptian frescoes show men brewing beer. To do so, they must have called upon the services of the microscopic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as Louis Pasteur eventually discovered in 1857. Micro-organisms have also been helping out in cheese production and in baking for thousands of years. Molecular biology is opening new fields of activity for these minute organisms in medicine, research, industry, and also in green technology: the CHA0 strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens that we mentioned earlier could become useful in biological pest control. This bacterial species lives on roots. It protects its host plant by producing substances with antibiotic activity against pathogenic organisms. In the case of the CHA0 strain, which colonises the roots of cereals, sugar beets, and other crop plants, this substance inhibits the growth of pathogenic fungi. The bacterium Erwinia amylovora, the pathogen that causes fire blight, has ravaged Swiss orchards in recent years. A quarter of a million trees had to be cut down in 2007 because
Biodiversity > environment 2/2010
pathogenic strains of this bacterium. In a research project sponsored by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), the characteristics of such strains and how they behave in the environment are being studied at the Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW research institute. Biological library. The rules of the Convention on Biological Diversity, ratified in 1992, also apply to working with micro-organisms: they are to be used sustainably and equitably, and their diversity conserved. According to Marco D’Alessandro of the FOEN Biotechnology and Substance Flows Section, “The focus is thus on studying the contribution of these organisms to ecosystem functions and also on conserving strains potentially useful to science and industry.” Most of the microbes that end up in the CCOS gene bank in Wädenswil were isolated from the environment, i.e., from plants, soils, or bodies of water, in the scope of research projects. Others come from local research and industrial laboratories. Along with potentially useful micro-organisms, the collection also contains others which are pathogenic and may be useful for diagnostics and vaccine development. For example, several borreliosis pathogens isolated from Swiss ticks are in the inventory. “The CCOS works like a library,” explains Martin Sievers, microbiologist and CCOS director. “Strains of micro-organisms of Swiss origin are stored at our facility and made available to interested parties for practical applications.”
Hansjakob Baumgartner www.environment-switzerland.ch/mag2010-2-06
Micro-organisms have huge structural diversity. Their genomes are an archive of all key biological innovations that have occurred throughout Earth’s history. Images: Kurt Hanselmann, swiss | i-research and training, Zurich
CONTACT Marco D’Alessandro Biotechnology Section FOEN +41 (0)31 322 93 95 marco.dalessandro@bafu.admin.ch
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