FISH-RiboSyn: A Rapid Approach for Determining the Specific Growth Rate of a Distinct Microbial Population in a Mixed Culture

摘要

Determining the specific growth rate of a distinct microbial population in a mixed culture or environmental sample has long been an elusive parameter which is integral to describing the function of microbes in their environment. FISH-RiboSyn, is an in situ method that utilizes fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with specific primers that target the interior region of both pre16S rRNA and mature 16S rRNA. FISH-RiboSyn provides an expedient method for determining the specific growth rate of a distinct microbial population in a mixed culture sample. Preliminary results demonstrate the linear increasing nature of fluorescence intensity as a function of chloramphenicol exposure time in pure cultures of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus.