Michael T. Madigan
Michael T. Madigan
Position: Professor and Distinguished Scholar
Field: Bacterial Diversity; Phototrophic Bacteria; Nitrogen Fixation; Extreme Environments
Degree: PhD, 1976, University of Wisconsin
At SIUC Since: 1979
Office: Life Science II 187
Mailcode: 6508
Phone: 618-453-5130
Fax: 618-453-8036
E-mail:
Courses Taught:

MICR 301: Principles of Microbiology
MICR/MBMB 470: Prokaryotic Diversity
MICR/MBMB 481: Diagnostic and Applied Microbiology Laboratory
Special Projects:

2003 Antarctic Expedition
Research Interests:
Bacterial Diversity

The main research theme in my laboratory is the isolation and characterization of new anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria from extreme environments, in particular thermal, permanently cold, or extremely alkaline and hypersaline habitats. The long term objective is to better understand the physiochemical limits to and evolution of photosynthesis. We are interested in the physiology, phylogeny, pigments and other basic biological properties of extremophilic phototrophic bacteria that combine to allow these organisms to grow optimally under one or more physical or chemical extreme. Our work also contributes to an understanding of the evolution of phototrophic microorganisms since extreme environments are models of early earth conditions. Some of our work involves collaborations with biophysicists, biochemists, and geneticists interested in particular aspects of the biology of extremophilic phototrophs.

Some of the organisms we have characterized include the thermophilic purple sulfur and green sulfur bacteria Chromatium tepidum and Chlorobium tepidum, respectively, and the phylogenetically unique thermophilic phototroph Heliobacterium modesticaldum. These organisms have been isolated from various thermal springs in Yellowstone National Park (USA), New Zealand, and Iceland. Other extremophilic phototrophic bacteria studied in this laboratory include psychrophilic organisms from Antarctica, extremely halophilic organisms from the Dead Sea, and alkaliphilic phototrophs from various highly alkaline soda lakes in the western United States and in Northern Africa. Our Antarctic work has recently focused on sulfer-cycling and methane-cycling prokaryotes from permanently frozen lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

Publications:
Recent Books

  • Madigan, M.T., Martinko, J.M., Dunlap, P.V. and Clark, D.P. 2009. (published February, 2008) Brock Biology of Microorganisms, 12th edition, Pearson Benjamin-Cummings, San Francisco. ISBN 0-13-2232460-1.
Articles in Professional Journals (since 2000)

  • Jung, D.O. and Madigan, M.T. 2008. Nitrogen fixation at low temperatures by the Antarctic purple bacterium, Rhodoferax antarcticus. FEMS Microbiol. Letts. (in preparation).
  • Asao, M., and Madigan, M.T. 2008. Heliomonas lunata, gen and sp. nov., and Heliorestis aminacidovorans sp. nov., new soda lake heliobacteria. Microbiology (in preparation).
  • Asao, M., Crespi, J.E., Jung, D.O., Mayers, J.E., Takaichi, S. and Madigan, M.T. 2008. Diversity of thermophilic purple sulfur bacteria and description of Allochromatium tepidum, sp. nov. Arch. Microbiol. (in preparation).
  • Sattley, W.M., Madigan, M.T., Swingley, W.D., Cheung, P.C., Clocksin, K.M., Conrad, A.L., Dejesa, L.C., Honchak, B.M., Jung, D.O., Karbach, L.E., Kurdoglu, A., Lahiri, S., Mastrian, S.D., Page, L.E., Taylor, H.L., Wang, Z.T., Raymond, J., Chen, M., Blankenship, R.E. and Touchman, J.W. 2008.The genome of Heliobacterium modesticaldum, a phototrophic representative of the Firmicutes containing the simplest photosynthetic apparatus. J Bacteriol. (in press). PubMed link
  • Yutin, N., Rotem, D., Rosenberg, M., Suzuki, Madigan, M.T., Imhoff, J.F., Béjà, O., Zohary. T., Eckert, W. and Yacobi, Y.Z. (2008). Tracking-down anoxygenic photosynthetic bacterial populations forming a metalimnetic bloom in a Mediterranean stratified lake. Intl. Soc. Microbial Ecol. J. (submitted).
  • Madigan, M.T. and Jung D.O. 2008. An overview of purple bacteria: systematics, physiology, and habitats. In: Hunter C.N., Daldal, F., Thurnauer M.C. and J.T. Beatty (eds): The Purple Phototrophic Bacteria. Springer, Dordrecht, pp. 1-15.
  • Asao, M. and Madigan, M.T. 2008. The Family Heliobacteriaceae. In: W. Whitman (ed), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, 2nd edition, pp. 000-000 (in press).
  • Madigan, M.T. and Imhoff, J.F. 2007. International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes: Subcommittee on the taxonomy of phototrophic bacteria, Minutes of the meetings 29 August 2006, Pau, France. Intl. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 57:1169-1171.
  • Asao, M., Takaichi, S. and Madigan, M.T. 2007. Thiocapsa imhoffii, nov. sp., an alkaliphilic purple sulfur bacterium of the family Chromatiaceae from Soap Lake, Washington (USA). Arch. Microbiol. 188:665-675. PubMed link
  • Sattley, W.M. and Madigan, M.T. 2007. Cold-active acetogenic bacteria from surficial sediments of perennially ice-covered Lake Fryxell, Antarctica. FEMS Microbiol. Letts. 272:48-54. PubMed link
  • Clocksin, K.M., Jung, D.O., and Madigan, M.T. 2007. Cold-active chemoorganotrophic Bacteria from the water column of the permanently ice-covered Lake Hoare, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73:3077-3083. PubMed link
  • Madigan, M.T. and Jung, D.O. 2007. Bacteriology. Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
  • Sattley, W.M. and Madigan, M.T. 2006. Isolation, characterization and ecology of cold-active chemolithotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria from perennially ice-covered Lake Fryxell, Antarctica. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:5562-5568. PubMed link
  • Full, T.D., Jung, D.O. and Madigan, M.T. 2006. Poly-β-hydroxyalkanoate production from soy molasses trisaccharides and other sugars by novel Bacillus species. Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 43:377-384. PubMed link
  • Asao, M., Jung, D.O., Achenbach, L.A. and Madigan, M.T. 2006. Heliorestis convoluta, sp. nov., a coiled alkaliphilic heliobacterium from the Wadi El Natroun, Egypt. Extremophiles. 10:403-410. PubMed link
  • Karr, E.A., Ng, J.M., Belchik, S.M., Sattley, W.M., Madigan, M.T. and Achenbach, L.A. 2006. Biodiversity of methanogenic and other Archaea in the permanently frozen Lake Fryxell, Antarctica. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:1663-1666. PubMed link
  • Madigan, M.T. 2005. Anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria from extreme environments. In: Govindjee, Beatty, J.T., Gest, H. and J.F. Allen (eds), Discoveries in Photosynthesis, vol. 20 of Advances in Photosynthesis, pp. 969-983.
  • Madigan, M.T., Jung, D.O., Karr, E.A., Sattley, W.M., Achenbach, L.A. and van der Meer, J. 2005. Diversity of anoxygenic phototrophs in contrasting extreme environments. In: Inskeep, W.P., and T. R. McDermott (eds.), Geothermal Biology and Geochemistry in Yellowstone National Park. Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, pp. 203-219.
  • Madigan, M.T., Imhoff, J.F. and Trüper, H.G. 2005. The Genus Rhodopila, Imhoff, Trüper and Pfennig 1984, 341VP. In: Garrity, G. (ed.), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, Vol. 2, part C. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 83-85.
  • Imhoff, J.F. and Madigan, M.T. 2005. Genus Thermochromatium, Imhoff Suling and Petri, 1998b, 1140VP, In: Garrity, G. (ed.), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, Vol 2, part B. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 24-25. PubMed link
  • Karr, E.A., Sattley, W.M. Rice, M.R. Jung, D.O., Madigan, M.T. and Achenbach, L.A. 2005. Diversity and distribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria in the permanently frozen Lake Fryxell, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71:6353-6359. PubMed link
  • Jung, D.O., Achenbach, L.A., Karr, E.A., Takaichi, S. and Madigan, M.T. 2004. A gas esiculate planktonic strain of the purple nonsulfur bacterium Rhodoferax antarcticus isolated from Lake Fryxell, Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Arch. Microbiol. 182:236-243. PubMed link
  • Imhoff, J.H. and Madigan, M.T. 2004. International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes subcommittee on the taxonomy of phototrophic bacteria. Minutes of the meetings, 27 August 2003, Tokyo, Japan. Intl. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 54:1001-1003.
  • Madigan, M.T. and Jung, D.O. 2003. Extremophiles. Worldbook Encyclopedia, Science Year 2004 Annual, pp. 74-89.
  • Karr, E.L, Sattley, J.M., Jung, D.O., Madigan, M.T., and Achenbach, L.A. 2003. Remarkable diversity of phototrophic purple bacteria in a permanently frozen Antarctic lake. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69:4910-4914. PubMed link
  • Hoogewerf, G.E., Jung, D.O. and Madigan, M.T. 2003 Evidence for limited species diversity of bacteriochlorophyll b-containing purple nonsulfur anoxygenic phototrophs in freshwater habitats. FEMS Microbiol. Letts. 218:359-364. PubMed link
  • Takaichi, S., Oh-oka, H., Maoka, T., Jung, D.O. and Madigan, M.T. 2003. Novel carotenoid glucoside esters from alkaliphilic heliobacteria. Arch. Microbiol. 179:95-100. PubMed link
  • Madigan, M.T. 2003. Anoxygenic phototrophs from extreme environments. Photosyn. Res. 76:157-171. PubMed link
  • Imhoff, J.F. and Madigan, M.T. 2002. International committee on systematics of prokaryotes subcommittee on the taxonomy of phototrophic bacteria. Minutes of the meetings, 28 August, 2000, Barcelona, Spain. Intl. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 52:2335-2336.
  • Kimble-Long, L.K. and Madigan, M.T. 2002. Irradiance effects on growth and pigment content of heliobacteria, purple and green bacteria. Photosynthetica. 40:629-632.
  • Nübel U., Bateson, M.M., Madigan, M.T., Kuhl, M. and Ward, D.M. 2001. The diversity and distribution of bacteria phylogenetically related to Chloroflexus in hypersaline microbial mats. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:4365-4371. PubMed link
  • Kimble-Long, L.K. and Madigan, M.T. 2001. Molecular evidence that the capacity for endosporulation is universal among phototrophic heliobacteria. FEMS Microbiol. Letts. 199:191-195 PubMed link
  • Madigan, M.T., Jung, D.O. and Resnick, S.E. 2001. Growth of the purple bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus on the aromatic compound hippurate. Arch. Microbiol. 175:462-465. PubMed link
  • Achenbach, L.A., Carey, J.R. and Madigan, M.T. 2001. Photosynthesis and phylogenetic primers for the detection of anoxygenic phototrophs in natural environments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:2922-2926. PubMed link
  • Madigan, M.T. 2001. The family Heliobacteriaceae. The Prokaryotes (electronic version). Springer-Verlag, New York. http://www.prokaryotes.com http://www.prokaryotes.com
  • Takaichi, S., Jung, D.O. and Madigan, M.T. 2001. Accumulation of unusual carotenoids in the spheroidene pathway, demethylspheroidene and demethylspheroidenone, in an alkaliphilic purple nonsulfur bacterium Rhodobaca bogoriensis. Photosyn. Res. 67:207-214. PubMed link
  • Madigan, M.T. 2001. Heliobacteriaceae, pp. 625-630. In Boone, D., Castenholz, R.W., and Garrity G.M. (eds.), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, 2nd.ed.,Vol. 1, Springer-Verlag, New York.
  • Madigan, M.T. 2001. Physiological ecology and evolution of thermophilic anoxygenic phototrophs, pp. 103-124. In: A.L. Reysenbach, M. Voytek and R. Mancinelli (eds.), Thermophiles: Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution. Plenum Press, New York.
  • Pantazopoulous, P.E. and Madigan, M.T. 2000. Primary alcohols and di-alcohols as growth substrates for the purple nonsulfur bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus. Can. J. Microbiol. 46:1166-1170. PubMed link
  • Madigan, M.T. 2000. Bacterial habitats in extreme environments, pp. 61-72. In: J. Seckbach (ed.), Journey to Diverse Microbial Worlds - adaptation to exotic environments. Kluwer, Dordtrecht, The Netherlands.
  • Milford, A.D., Jung, D.O., Achenbach, L.A. and Madigan, M.T. 2000. Rhodobaca bogoriensis gen. nov. and sp. nov., an alkaliphilic purple nonsulfur bacterium from African Rift Valley soda lakes. Arch. Microbiol. 174:18-27. PubMed link
  • Madigan, M.T., Jung, D.O., Woese, C.R. and Achenbach, L.A. 2000. Rhodoferax antarcticus, sp. nov. a moderately psychrophilic purple nonsulfur bacterium from an Antarctic microbial mat. Arch. Microbiol. 173:269-277. PubMed link