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The official newsletter for FEMS Affiliates

A F F I L I AT E S L E T T E RFEBRUARY 2013

appear, delete browsing history and cookies. We also recommend Affiliates to register anew to take advantage of the new option of creating his/ her own password plus of course the opportu-nity to update one’s details.

As always, we welcome feedback. Please email us at fems@fems-microbiology.org to let us know what you find useful and where we may be able to improve. As we respond to feedback, changes to the web site may occur. Please be patient with us as we work toward making any adjustments.

Also in this issue:

Publications Corner:• FEMS Pathogens and

Disease Sections• Highlighted articles• FREE issue FEMS Yeast

Research

Grants Page:• FEMS Meeting Attendance

Grants

Bits & Pieces:• Formatex Microbiology-

Book Series• Nat Sternberg Thesis Prize• FEMS Congress

DEADLINES

List of FEMS-sponsored meetings

Microbiology Tidbits

We are very excited to inform you about the launch of the new FEMS website which after more than a year in devel-opment finally went live on 5 February. If you have not already done so, please take a look here!

The new design enhances communica-tion, facilitating access to information by making it easier to navigate and for us to maintain and update. Thus the site preserves much of the same con-tent that will be familiar to you whilst also significantly improving your online FEMS experience. The home page, for example, now gives us the possibility to upload news text and images in con-trast to the previous static home page.

There are fast information links for:• MemberSocieties• Journals• Awards• Grants• Congress

Our top tip is to check your current bookmark: if the website does not

New FEMS website

FEMS Office in Delft

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F E M S A F F I L I A T E S L E T T E R , F E B 2 0 1 3

Molecular Pathogenesis:Herd Immunity in the Meningitis beltHuber et al., Pathogens and Disease, 67: 4-10

This study compares outer membrane protein se-quences in a number of Neisseria meningitidis sero-group A disease and carriage isolates from a defined region of sub-Saharan Africa between 2002 and 2008. It concludes that there is a remarkable antigenic sta-bility in this population and that results indicate that while herd immunity may be responsible for the dis-appearance of meningococcal clones over time, it is not a strong driving force for antigenic diversification. Read more

Host Responses to Infection:Host defense against invaders Jönsson et al., Pathogens and Disease, 67: 54–66

This well-illustrated study investigates the response of human blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to a cord-forming strain of Mycobacterium abscessus. A fi-brous chromatin-like meshwork containing DNA and histones is produced by the PBMCs, perhaps as a de-fense mechanism against other nondigestible invaders. Read more

Pathogens and Disease articles now listed in Sections – read selection here -

Translational Research:Green tea health benefitsYu Cai et al., Pathogens and Disease, 67: 76–83 This is a very interesting and relevant study that demonstrates the ability of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), apolyphenol extract from green tea, to protect against Porphyromonas gingivalis-induced atheroscle-rosis. The experimental approach is straightforward and the results provide evidence for the mechanism accounting for the protective effect. Read more

PUBL I CAT IONS PAGE

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F E M S A F F I L I A T E S L E T T E R , F E B 2 0 1 3

Characterization of picoplankton by flow cytometryGómez-Pereira et al., FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 83-3: 664-671

Flow cytometric sorting has been successfully em-ployed to taxonomically affiliate a conspicuous group of red autofluorescent picoplankton in surface waters of the South Atlantic Ocean. Picoeukaryotes play a major role in CO2 fixation in the ocean, however, their

diversity and distribu-tion patterns remain poorly understood, partly because of their low abundance and methodologi-cal constraints. The authors have used catalysed reporter deposition fluores-

cence in situ hybridization to sort an uncharacterized group of picoplankton cells, which were identified to be affiliated with the Mamiellales clade II. The cells were further morphologically characterized by elec-tron microscopy and were shown to have a simple cell morphology. This demonstrates that flow cytometry is a powerful method for the characterization of lowly abundant populations of picoplankton. Read more

Free issue of FEMS Yeast Research

YeastIP: a new userfriendly searchable multigene da-tabase with quick tool to identify ascomycete yeasts.

amdSYM: a new dominant marker in S. cerevisiae open-ing the door to fast and easy genetic manipulation and an excellent tool for consecutive genetic modifications.

Highlighted Article FEMS Ecology

Rock solid?Griffiths and Philippot, FEMS Microbiology Reviews, 37: 112–129

This article reviews how soil microorganisms respond to disturbance or environmental change. Soil stability results from a combination of biotic and abiotic soil characteristics and so could provide a quantitative measure of soil health. Stability measurements could also provide an indirect indication of ‘critical slowing down’ and the approach of ecosystem tipping points. In particular monitoring soil responses to stochastic natural disturbances may be a useful early indicator of an impending ecological state change. Read more

PUBL I CAT IONS PAGE

Highlighted Article FEMS Reviews

Grab for free the latest issue of FEMS Yeast Research here. This issue features YeastIP the database and amdSYM the new recyclable marker.

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F E M S A F F I L I A T E S L E T T E R , F E B 2 0 1 3

CHECKLIST FOR YOUR FEMS MEETING ATTENDANCE

GRANT APPLICATION

FEMS Meeting Attendance Grants regulationsapply to each application for the FEMS Meeting Attendance Grants; the requirements consist of but are not limited to the following:• You are a member of a FEMS Member Society• You are not older than 36 years at the closing date of the meeting• You are an active microbiologist• An abstract for which you are the presenting Author is added• The meeting that you are attending is not supported by a FEMS Meeting Grant• You have read the regulations for your application and you fulfill ALL requirements• You have completely filled-up the application form• The following should be submitted along with your application form: 1. a curriculum vitae including a list of publications 2. one letter of recommendation 3. the abstract 4. a letter confirming its acceptance by the meeting organisers 5. a photograph 6. a letter confirming the membership by the society• Please send the complete application to grants@fems-microbiology.org before the deadline of 1 April 2013.

FEMS MEETING ATTENDANCE GRANTS

FEMS starts each spring with the deadline for the FEMS Meeting Attendance Grants.

These are grants awarded to young European scientists wishing to attend microbiology meetings that are not supported by a FEMS Meetings Grant.

Meeting Attendance Grants may support attendance at meetings worldwide, but preference will be given for meetings within the European area.

The maximum amount of a Meeting Attendance Grant is €600 while the minimum is €250.

We are calling on young scientists wishing to apply for a Meetings Attendance Grant to first familiarize themselves with the regulations governing FEMS Meeting Attendance Grants.

Completed applications should be received at FEMS Central Office by:• 1 April, for attendance at meetings opening between 1 May – 30 September.• 1 September, for attendance at meetings opening between 1 October – 30 April.

The regulations and application forms are available electronically. Please read them carefully and check the list at the right before contacting the FEMS Office.

GRANTS CORNER

CALL for APPLICATIONS

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F E M S A F F I L I A T E S L E T T E R , F E B 2 0 1 3

B I T S & P I ECES

Bits & Pieces

The Nat L. Sternberg Thesis Prize

The Nat Sternberg Thesis Prize is a cash award given each year to a student for the most outstanding Ph.D. thesis in the field of prokaryotic molecular biology. The award will be presented at the annual Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages meeting, held on 6-10 August 2013 in Madison, Wisconsin USA, at which time the recipient will give a presentation about his or her work.

Meeting information is available at: http://www.union.wisc.edu/phages/orgs-topics.html

Nominations open from 15 March 2013 to 15 April 2013. For further award details: http://sternbergaward.hms.harvard.edu

Nat Sternberg (1942-1995), who developed P1 into a sophisticated molecular system that has dramatically influenced both basic molecular biology and biotechnology.

You are cordially invited to submit a chapter pro-posal to be considered for publication in the fourth number of the Formatex Microbiology Book Series (2013 Edi-tion). The call for chap-ters for this book, which will be titled "Microbial pathogens and strate-gies for combating them: science, technology and education" will be open until 14th May 2013.

The aim of this book is to share the latest develop-ments and advances in anti-microbial strategies. Chapters shall be written by active researchers, but presented in a way accessible to a public be-yond those who are specialists in the topic dealt. "Anti" is here taken in the broadest sense as "against cell cycle, adhesion, or communication", when harmful for the human health, industry or economy (infectious diseases, chemotherapy, food, biomedicine, agriculture, livestock, biotech-nology, water systems...). It will also cover topics on antimicrobial resistance, (early) microbial and resistance detection, enhancement of innate de-fenses against pathogens, as well as methods and techniques.

Those authors interested in submitting a chapter proposal are requested to submit a short abstract of it first, in order to avoid content duplications. We look forward to receiving your proposals re-lated to your most relevant recent research re-sults. The deadline for chapter submission is 14 May 2013.

Please visit the book website for more details: http://www.antimicrobialbook.org.

Formatex Microbiology Book Series

Submission deadline of late breaker abstracts for FEMS 2013 is 11 March 2013. Submit your abstract here.

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The voice of microbiology in Europe.We advance and unify microbiology knowledge.

Keverling Buismanweg 4, 2628 CL Delft, The NetherlandsT: 0031 15 269 3920 | F: 0031 15 269 3921 | E: fems@fems-microbiology.org

The FEMS Affiliates Letter is a production of the Federation of European Microbiological Societies.

F E M S A F F I L I A T E S L E T T E R , F E B 2 0 1 3

DEADLINES1 March 2013

FEMS Meeting Grants(for meetings to be held in 2014)

1 April 2013 1 September 2013

FEMS Meeting Attendance Grants

15 June 2013 1 December 2013

FEMS Research Fellowships

1 June 2013 (meetings 1 July - 30 Dec.) 15 December 2013 (meetings 1 Jan. - June).

FEMS National & Regional Congresses Grants

1 0 M a r c h 2 0 1 3 International Conference on Microbiology. An-nual Conference of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM) in Collabo-ration with the Royal Netherlands Society for Microbiology (KNVM), Bremen, Germany

2 4 A p r i l 2 0 1 3Biodeterioration of Wood and Wood Products, BWWP 2013, Tartu, Estonia

2 6 A p r i l 2 0 1 34th Microbial Genome Maintenance Meeting Oslo, Norway

2 5 M a y 2 0 1 3Molecular Mechanisms of Host-Pathogen Inter-actions and Virulence in Human Fungal Patho-gens, HFP2013, Paris, France

FEMS-Sponsored Meetings, Spring 2013

MICROBIOLOGY TIDBITS

Microbial life in Antarctic subglacial lakeIn the race to find microbial life under Antarctic ice, a team of scientists from the USA has succeeded for the first time to find microbial life in the subglacial lake Whillans, which is hidden under more than half a mile of ice. This extreme condition is thought to be highly similar to that of icy moons. The study of extreme life forms in subglacial lakes on earth may therefore also give insight in potential life forms on other moons or planets of our solar system.

Source: WISSARD

Discovery of haploid Candida albicansIn the latest issue of Nature, collaborating scien-tists from the USA, Israel, Singapore and Taiwan, reveal that the yeast Candida albicans can gen-erate viable haploid cells. C. albicans was always considered to live as an obligate diploid organ-ism. The exciting discovery of haploid C. albicans strains is expected to greatly facilitate future ge-netic and molecular study of this fungal pathogen.

Source: University of Minnesota

Animal genome with a functional gene for antibiotic synthesis Scientists have discovered that the insect-like ani-mal Folsomia candida, also known as springtail, harbours a gene that encodes a functional isopeni-cillin N synthase for the production of β-lactam an-tibiotics. Up until now, only bacteria and fungi were known to have the capacity to produce antibiotics.

Source: VU Amsterdam

Bacterium stimulates the formation of solid goldCanadian scientists of the McMaster University of Ontario have discovered that the bacterium Delf-tia acidovorans secretes a metabolite to protect itself from toxic soluble gold by promoting gold bi-omineralization. This discovery may offer oppor-tunities for the development of microbial-assisted methods for the extraction of gold from water.

Source: McMaster University