How microbial proteomics got started.

Publication in 1975 by Patrick O'Farrell of a procedure to separate the proteins of Escherichia coli in a two-dimensional array on polyacrylamide gels marked the birth of the field now called proteomics. Although O'Farrell's contribution was soon to have wide ranging effects on research in many fields, the initial impact was greatest in the arena of whole cell physiology. Refinements and amplification of the original procedure, including improved standardization and reproducibility of gel patterns, introduction of techniques to measure the quantity of protein in individual spots, and biochemical identification of the protein spots, afforded investigators the ability to explore for the first time the integrated working of control circuits in the living cell.

The road from The Microbial world to Microbe.

The year 2007 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Microbial World, the seminal microbiology textbook that shattered the microbiology world and whose first edition was coauthored by Roger Y. Stanier, Michael Doudoroff and Edward A. Adelberg.

Apples, oranges and unknown fruit.

For many microbiologists their ultimate goal is to understand microbial life at the whole-cell level. Here, Fred Neidhardt gives his view that attention must be paid to the growth conditions for this goal to be realized.