Combination of fluorescent in situ hybridization and microautoradiography - a new tool for structure-function analyses in microbial ecology

The performance of fluorescent in situ hybridization with rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes and microautoradiography for the identification and determination of substrate uptake patterns of individual microbial cells has been assessed. The method was tested using defined artificial mixtures of Escherichia coli and Herpetosiphon aurantiacus under aerobic conditions in the presence of (3H) glucose. Results indicate that the method can be used in identifying the uptake of labeled substrates for defined cell mixtures and activated sludge.