User:S.Lampiasi/sandbox

The article that I've chosen to edit is that of Microbial Cysts. Though the article is small, it describes the process well. Essentially a microbial cyst (not to be confused with an endospore) is either a reaction to unfavorable conditions or part of the natural life cycle that a bacteria, protist (mostly protozoan parasites) or rarely an invertebrate animal goes through. It can be thought of as basic 'suspended animation' where both the metabolism of the organism and its movement are reduced dramatically. In bacteria the cell wall is thickened with 'added peptidoglycan layers, in protists with the cell walls reinforced with chitin (a glycoplymer) and in invertebrates with increased collagen. It is worth mentioning that this is only one phase of the organisms existence so that it may then reach the desired environment to reproduce and gain nutrients.

The article that I am going to use as my project will be Biostasis.

(9) Oliver, James D. "The viable but nonculturable state in bacteria." The Journal of Microbiology 43.1 (2005): 93-100.

(10) Fungistasis and general soil biostasis A new synthesis Paolina Garbeva, W.H. Gera Holb, Aad J. Termorshuizenc, George A. Kowalchuka, Wietse de Boer

(11) Watson, A.G., Ford E.J. 1972 Soil Fungistasis -- a reappraisal. Annual Review of Phytopathology 10, 327.

Fowles, Robert E., et al. "The enhancement of macrophage bacteriostasis by products of activated lymphocytes." Journal of Experimental Medicine 138.4 (1973): 952-964.

I added the following to my article 9/30/18

(9) Oliver, James D. "The viable but nonculturable state in bacteria." The Journal of Microbiology 43.1 (2005): 93-100.

Content gaps in my article (Biostasis) include portions on funginstasis and viable but nonculturable state

Addition to my article Biostasis

Biostasis is also synonymous for Viable but Nonculturable state. In the past when bacteria were no longer growing on culture media it was assumed that they were dead. Now we can understand that there are many instances where bacteria cells may go into biostasis or suspended animation, fail to grow on media, and on resuscitation are again culturable. It should be noted that VBNC state differs from 'starvation survival state' (where a cell just reduces metabolism significantly). Bacteria cells may enter the VBNC state as a result of some outside stressor such as "starvation, incubation outside the temperature range of growth, elevated osmotic concentrations (seawater), oxygen concentrations, or exposure to white light" (9). Any of these instances could very easily mean death for the bacteria if it was not able to enter this state of dormancy. It has also been observed that in may instances where it was thought that bacteria had been destroyed (pasteurization of milk) and later caused spoilage or harmful effects to consumers because the bacteria had entered the VBNC state.

Effects on cells entering the VBNC state include "dwarfing, changes in metabolic activity, reduced nutrient transport, respiration rates and macromolecular synthesis". (9) Yet biosynthesis continues, and shock proteins are made. Most importantly has been observed that ATP levels and generation remain high, completely contrary to dying cells which show rapid decreases in generation and retention. Changes to the cell walls of bacteria in the VBNC state have also been observed. In E.coli a large amount of cross-linking was observed in the peptidoglycan. The autolytic capability was also observed to be much higher in VBNC cells than those who where in the growth state.

It should be noted that is far easier to induce bacteria to the VBNC state and once bacteria cells have entered the VBNC state it is very hard to return them to a culturable state. "They examined nonculturability and resuscitation in Legionella Pneumophila and while entry into this state was easily induced by nutrient starvation, resuscitation could only be demonstrated following co-incubation of the VBNC cells with the amoeba, Acanthamoeba Castellani" (9)

Fugistasis or mycostasis a naturally occurring VBNC (Viable but Nonculturable) state found in fungi in soil. Watson and Ford defined fungistasis as "when viable fungal propagules, which are not subject to endogenous or constitutive dormancy do not germinate in soil at their favorable temperature or moisture conditions or growth of fungal hyphae is retarded or terminated by conditions of the soil environment other than temperature or moisture." (10). Essentially (and mostly observed naturally occurring in soil) several types of fungi have been found to enter the VBNC state resulting from outside stressors (temperature, available nutrients, oxygen availability ect.) or from no observable stressors at all.

* Readability, you have a lot of great information but it's not easily understandable. You have to remember your audience when writing this. Majority of the time Wikipedia is used to help people learn more about what the reading through textbooks. Also when you have quote just try to explain it a little more in depth but in language that is easier to understand. Overall you have great information but you need easier to understand vocabulary.

* I would also recommend making a work cited page at the bottom as well, just so you have all your proper APA citing.

Thank you for the reminder about citing. I have corrected that in my article. Any Wikipedia article is available for anyone (who understands the same language) to be able to view and learn. That being said it occurs to me that the 'audience' of an article as obscure as 'Biostasis' would have at the very least some rudimentary foundation in biology. Further, anyone viewing any written material on the subject of biostasis is bound to run into words, cellular functions, and general biological ideas that could possibly be alien to them and require more than just the usual amount of effort to understand its concepts.