This proposal is focused on an important problem in microbial systems used for wastewater treatment. The model organism selected for study is the only ammonia-oxidizing bacterium with a sequenced genome. Transcriptional responses would be evaluated for both planktonic and biofilm cultures. Reporter strains of this organism would also be generated for potential use in wastewater treatment plants as biosensors of potentially deleterious conditions. The proposed research would use the nitrifying bacterium N. europaea as a model for the effects of environmental stress on gene expression. This would be enabled by the complete genome sequence and the subsequent availability of whole genome microarrays. The goal is to identify genes that would serve as markers of stress in wastewater systems. If successful, this approach could be applied to other environmental systems.
The educational plan is well developed, including interdisciplinary training of graduate students and involving high school students. Workshops are to be developed and offered to high school and community college teachers.
