Burkholderia: From Genomes to Function, and on to the Future
Eshwar Mahenthiralingam and Tom Coenye
from: Burkholderia: From Genomes to Function (Edited by: Tom Coenye and Eshwar Mahenthiralingam). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2014)
Abstract
Burkholderia is an enigmatic Gram negative bacterial genus that has attracted researchers from multiple disciplines. Burkholderia species possess considerable genetic and metabolic versatility allowing them to exist in a wide range of environmental settings as free-living or host-associated microorganisms. From a research standpoint, their interactions can be divided into either those that are beneficial or those that are problematic, often with the same Burkholderia species capable of both functions. The beneficial traits of Burkholderia are largely environmental and include their ability to promote plant growth, kill pest organisms, fix nitrogen, and degrade man-made pollutants. Pathogenicity towards multiple host organisms is the fundamental negative attribute for which Burkholderia have been widely researched, however, new problematic areas such as industrial contamination are emerging. We have summarised key advances in the biology of Burkholderia bacteria, many of which have been characterised as a result of greatly improved genomic and molecular resources for these bacteria read more ...
