I am interested in the bacterial diversity of open ocean ecosystems. I was thinking of using the autofluorescence of accessory pigments and chl a/b coupled with flow cytometry to answer this question, but I have had poor resolution in terms of separate populations on the output from the cytometer (BD Accuri C6). The samples are preserved in 1% glutaraldehyde and stored in a refrigerator at 4oC. The company claims that the >670nm LP and 675/25nm emission detectors can be used to differentiate between chl a and phycocyanins respectively, but I don't see how considering the overlap in emission wavelengths. Specifically, I would love to separate cyanobacteria, chlorophytes and pico/nano eukaryotes if possible.
Some papers I have read have had luck with staining to differentiate populations, but I was just wondering if that is the way to go or if it is possible to differentiate without these stains. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Benjamin,
One of the best sources could be Dr. Barry O'Keefe at the NCI.
You might like to contact him directly.
Best wishes,
Robert
Ibrahim, That's an excellent paper!
Benjamin, As to Barry O'Keefe (see above), I should have mentioned that he actually is an expert on marine algea. Nevertheless, he may be helpful as his methods could also apply to marine bacteria. Other than this, here is a review article that may be interesting though you might already know it: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18562243
Best,
Robert
Hello, although the review paper mentioned before is a good starting point, Dominic Marie from Roscow Marine Station in France, is the one of the researches with more experience in marine bacteria and flow cytometry, he was one of the discoverers of proclorococus...
Thanks for all the great feedback, I appreciate it.
Robert: I will try and contact Dr. O'Keefe, his expertise in marine algae may prove useful in my research. Also, that review is great, I have read it, but definitely a good find.
Ibrahim: I have not found this paper yet, and will read it promptly. Thanks!
Alberto: I will try to contact Dominic, sounds like a fantastic resource.
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