title: Stable isotope probing - linking microbial identity to function.
abstract: Stable isotope probing (SIP) is a technique that is used to identify the microorganisms in environmental samples that use a particular growth substrate. The method relies on the incorporation of a substrate that is highly enriched in a stable isotope, such as (13)C, and the identification of active microorganisms by the selective recovery and analysis of isotope-enriched cellular components. DNA and rRNA are the most informative taxonomic biomarkers and (13)C-labelled molecules can be purified from unlabelled nucleic acid by density-gradient centrifugation. The future holds great promise for SIP, particularly when combined with other emerging technologies such as microarrays and metagenomics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
authors.forename: Marc G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Dumont
authors.forename: J Colin
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Murrell
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D007553:Isotope Labeling / Q000379:methods; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S