Molecular and cellular microbiology

The course is organized in a single module and focuses on different biotechnological aspects of molecular and cellular microbiology. Modern methods of genomics and functional genomics will be described (e.g. DNA and RNA sequencing, metagenomics, transcriptomics, metatranscriptomics) with application to the profiling of uncultivated microbial communities present in complex ecosystems. During the first four lessons of the course, Dr. Elio Rossi will present an overview of meta-omics approaches to the analysis of microbial communities. After that, Prof. Bertoni will present examples of i) the application of meta-genomics and meta-transcriptomics as a way to approach complex microbial populations, ii) gene regulation at the post-transcriptional level mediated by small RNAs, which represent potentially useful tools for metabolic engineering applications, iii) artificial gene silencing using antisense oligomers for the development of unconventional antibiotics and phage therapy to combat bacterial pathogens, iv) the development of whole-cell biosensors for the detection of environmental pollutants and anti-horizontal gene transfer mechanisms with their use in genome engineering.