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Microbial Biotechnology Sep 2016Biology is an analytical and informational science that is becoming increasingly dependent on chemical synthesis. One example is the high-throughput and low-cost... (Review)
Review
Biology is an analytical and informational science that is becoming increasingly dependent on chemical synthesis. One example is the high-throughput and low-cost synthesis of DNA, which is a foundation for the research field of synthetic biology (SB). The aim of SB is to provide biotechnological solutions to health, energy and environmental issues as well as unsustainable manufacturing processes in the frame of naturally existing chemical building blocks. Xenobiology (XB) goes a step further by implementing non-natural building blocks in living cells. In this context, genetic code engineering respectively enables the re-design of genes/genomes and proteins/proteomes with non-canonical nucleic (XNAs) and amino (ncAAs) acids. Besides studying information flow and evolutionary innovation in living systems, XB allows the development of new-to-nature therapeutic proteins/peptides, new biocatalysts for potential applications in synthetic organic chemistry and biocontainment strategies for enhanced biosafety. In this perspective, we provide a brief history and evolution of the genetic code in the context of XB. We then discuss the latest efforts and challenges ahead for engineering the genetic code with focus on substitutions and additions of ncAAs as well as standard amino acid reductions. Finally, we present a roadmap for the directed evolution of artificial microbes for emancipating rare sense codons that could be used to introduce novel building blocks. The development of such xenomicroorganisms endowed with a 'genetic firewall' will also allow to study and understand the relation between code evolution and horizontal gene transfer.
Topics: Biotechnology; Genetic Code; Metabolic Engineering; Synthetic Biology; Technology, Pharmaceutical
PubMed: 27489097
DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.12398 -
Journal of Applied Microbiology Sep 2016Bacteriophages represent a simple viral model of basic research with many possibilities for practical application. Due to their ability to infect and kill bacteria,... (Review)
Review
Bacteriophages represent a simple viral model of basic research with many possibilities for practical application. Due to their ability to infect and kill bacteria, their potential in the treatment of bacterial infection has been examined since their discovery. With advances in molecular biology and gene engineering, the phage application spectrum has been expanded to various medical and biotechnological fields. The construction of bacteriophages with an extended host range or longer viability in the mammalian bloodstream enhances their potential as an alternative to conventional antibiotic treatment. Insertion of active depolymerase genes to their genomes can enforce the biofilm disposal. They can also be engineered to transfer various compounds to the eukaryotic organisms and the bacterial culture, applicable for the vaccine, drug or gene delivery. Phage recombinant lytic enzymes can be applied as enzybiotics in medicine as well as in biotechnology for pathogen detection or programmed cell death in bacterial expression strains. Besides, modified bacteriophages with high specificity can be applied as bioprobes in detection tools to estimate the presence of pathogens in food industry, or utilized in the control of food-borne pathogens as part of the constructed phage-based biosorbents.
Topics: Animals; Bacteria; Bacterial Infections; Bacteriophages; Biofilms; Biological Therapy; Biosensing Techniques; Biotechnology; Food-Processing Industry; Genetic Engineering; Humans; Industrial Microbiology
PubMed: 27321680
DOI: 10.1111/jam.13207 -
Chirality Nov 2022Over the last decades, biocatalysis has achieved growing interest thanks to its potential to enable high efficiency, high yield, and eco-friendly processes aimed at the... (Review)
Review
Over the last decades, biocatalysis has achieved growing interest thanks to its potential to enable high efficiency, high yield, and eco-friendly processes aimed at the production of pharmacologically relevant compounds. Particularly, biocatalysis proved an effective and potent tool in the preparation of chiral molecules, and the recent innovations of biotechnologies and nanotechnologies open up a new era of further developments in this field. Different strategies are now available for the synthesis of chiral drugs and their intermediates. Enzymes are green tools that offer several advantages, associated both to catalysis and environmentally friendly reactants. Specifically, the use of enzymes isolated from biological sources or of whole-cell represents a valuable approach to obtain pharmaceutical products. The sustainability, the higher efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of biocatalytic reactions result in improved performance and properties that can be translated from academia to industry. In this review, we focus on biocatalytic approaches for synthesizing chiral drugs or their intermediates. Aiming to unveil the potentialities of biocatalysis systems, we discuss different examples of innovative biocatalytic approaches and their applications in the pharmaceutical industry.
Topics: Biocatalysis; Biotechnology; Catalysis; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Stereoisomerism
PubMed: 35929567
DOI: 10.1002/chir.23498 -
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology... Mar 2019In this study, a 'biotechnology literacy test' was developed to determine the biotechnology literacy of prospective science teachers, and its validity and reliability...
In this study, a 'biotechnology literacy test' was developed to determine the biotechnology literacy of prospective science teachers, and its validity and reliability were determined. For this purpose, 42 items were prepared by considering Bybee's scientific literacy classifications (nominal, functional, procedural, and multidimensional). The experts were asked to rate each item for content validity. As a result of the experts' evaluations, the content validity of the test was confirmed. The draft test was applied to 494 science prospective teachers. Difficulty and discrimination coefficients of items within the test were calculated to provide evidence of construct validity. It was decided to exclude 13 items as a result of item analysis. It can be said that that the test was difficult (p = 0.40) and discriminative (D = 0.41) at medium level. Finally, a valid and reliable "biotechnology literacy test" consisting of 25 multiple-choice items each with five choices was developed in this research. © 2019 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(2): 179-188, 2019.
Topics: Biotechnology; Literacy
PubMed: 30735294
DOI: 10.1002/bmb.21216 -
Trends in Biotechnology Aug 2009
Review
Topics: Biomedical Research; Biomedical Technology; Biotechnology; Creativity; Humans; Personnel Management; United Kingdom
PubMed: 19592121
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2009.05.001 -
Bioengineered Dec 2021The current fossil fuel reserves are not sufficient to meet the increasing demand and very soon will become exhausted. Pollution, global warming, and inflated oil prices... (Review)
Review
The current fossil fuel reserves are not sufficient to meet the increasing demand and very soon will become exhausted. Pollution, global warming, and inflated oil prices have led the quest for renewable energy sources. Macroalgae (green, brown, and red marine seaweed) is gaining popularity as a viable and promising renewable source for biofuels production. Numerous researches have been conducted to access the potential of macroalgae for generating diverse bioproducts such as biofuels. The existence of components such as carbohydrates and lipids, and the lack or deficiency of lignin, create macroalgae an enviable feedstock for biofuels generation. This review briefly covers the potential macroalgal species promoting the production of biofuels and their cultivation methods. It also illustrates the biofuel generation pathway and its efficiency along with the recent techniques to accelerate the product yield. In addition, the current analysis focuses on a cost-effective sustainable generation of biofuel along with commercialization and scaleup.
Topics: Biofuels; Biotechnology; Commerce; Seaweed
PubMed: 34709971
DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2021.1996019 -
Current Opinion in Biotechnology Aug 2013Nanopore technology employs a nanoscale hole in an insulating membrane to stochastically sense with high throughput individual biomolecules in solution. The generality... (Review)
Review
Nanopore technology employs a nanoscale hole in an insulating membrane to stochastically sense with high throughput individual biomolecules in solution. The generality of the nanopore detection principle and the ease of single-molecule detection suggest many potential applications of nanopores in biotechnology. Recent progress has been made with nanopore fabrication and sophistication, as well as with applications in DNA/protein mapping, biomolecular structure analysis, protein detection, and DNA sequencing. In addition, concepts for DNA sequencing devices have been suggested, and computational efforts have been made. The state of the nanopore field is maturing and given the right type of nanopore and operating conditions, nearly every application could revolutionize medicine in terms of speed, cost, and quality. In this review, we summarize progress in nanopores for biotechnological applications over the past 2-3 years.
Topics: Biotechnology; DNA; Nanopores; Nanotechnology; Proteins
PubMed: 23266100
DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2012.11.008 -
Microbial Biotechnology Sep 2017Sustainable Development Goal 6 requires the provision of safe drinking water to the world. We propose that increased exploitation of biological processes is fundamental... (Review)
Review
Sustainable Development Goal 6 requires the provision of safe drinking water to the world. We propose that increased exploitation of biological processes is fundamental to achieving this goal due to their low economic and energetic costs. Biological processes exist for the removal of most common contaminants, and biofiltration processes can establish a biologically stable product that retains high quality in distribution networks, minimizing opportunities for pathogen invasion.
Topics: Biodegradation, Environmental; Biotechnology; Drinking Water; Humans; Water Purification
PubMed: 28905496
DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.12837 -
Plant Physiology Sep 2000
Review
Topics: Agriculture; Biotechnology; Crops, Agricultural; Developed Countries; Developing Countries; Humans; International Cooperation; Plants, Genetically Modified
PubMed: 10982415
DOI: 10.1104/pp.124.1.3 -
Microbiology and Molecular Biology... Sep 2000Profound changes are occurring in the strategies that biotechnology-based industries are deploying in the search for exploitable biology and to discover new products and... (Review)
Review
Profound changes are occurring in the strategies that biotechnology-based industries are deploying in the search for exploitable biology and to discover new products and develop new or improved processes. The advances that have been made in the past decade in areas such as combinatorial chemistry, combinatorial biosynthesis, metabolic pathway engineering, gene shuffling, and directed evolution of proteins have caused some companies to consider withdrawing from natural product screening. In this review we examine the paradigm shift from traditional biology to bioinformatics that is revolutionizing exploitable biology. We conclude that the reinvigorated means of detecting novel organisms, novel chemical structures, and novel biocatalytic activities will ensure that natural products will continue to be a primary resource for biotechnology. The paradigm shift has been driven by a convergence of complementary technologies, exemplified by DNA sequencing and amplification, genome sequencing and annotation, proteome analysis, and phenotypic inventorying, resulting in the establishment of huge databases that can be mined in order to generate useful knowledge such as the identity and characterization of organisms and the identity of biotechnology targets. Concurrently there have been major advances in understanding the extent of microbial diversity, how uncultured organisms might be grown, and how expression of the metabolic potential of microorganisms can be maximized. The integration of information from complementary databases presents a significant challenge. Such integration should facilitate answers to complex questions involving sequence, biochemical, physiological, taxonomic, and ecological information of the sort posed in exploitable biology. The paradigm shift which we discuss is not absolute in the sense that it will replace established microbiology; rather, it reinforces our view that innovative microbiology is essential for releasing the potential of microbial diversity for biotechnology penetration throughout industry. Various of these issues are considered with reference to deep-sea microbiology and biotechnology.
Topics: Biotechnology; Microbiological Techniques; Microbiology; Models, Biological; Proteome
PubMed: 10974127
DOI: 10.1128/MMBR.64.3.573-606.2000