Chapter 6 Applications of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and microsensor techniques in oil biodegradation studies

Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and microsensor techniques have been widely used in microbial ecology. In the review, we focus on the applications of these techniques in the context of oil biodegradation. DGGE provides information on microbial diversity of polluted ecosystems. Furthermore, using this technique, changes in the structure of microbial communities over time could be monitored. Microsensors detect the microenvironment of contaminated sediments and monitor changes in various microbial metabolic processes such as respiration, photosynthesis and sulfate reduction. The application of microsensors in oil biodegradation studies has been restricted to cyanobacterial mats. The role of these mats in the breakdown of petroleum compounds has been recently realized following the Gulf War in 1991. Therefore, some of our findings in this field are reviewed.