Ribosomal RNA-targeted nucleic acid probes for studies in microbial ecology

With readily applicable hybridization assays, mainly based on rRNA-targeted nucleic acid probes, and direct, cultivation-independent sequence retrieva l, microbiologists call for the first time determine the true composition o f microbial communities. Phylogenetic identification and exact spatiotempor al quantification of microorganisms will in the future become prerequisites for high duality studies in microbial ecology just as good taxonomy and so lid quantification have always been for macroecology. This review is intend ed to give a short history of the development of rRNA-targeted nucleic acid probes and probe technologies, as well as of their application in microbia l ecology. The current state of the art is described. and we will try to lo ok into the future. Over the last decade, rRNA-targeted probes have become a handy tool for microbial ecologists. In order to speed up the transformat ion of microbial ecology from a mostly descriptive to a hypothesis-driven, experimental science more intense use must be made of the taxonomic precisi on and quantitativeness of rRNA-targeted probes. (C) 2000 Federation of Eur opean Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rig hts reserved.