Describing the scientific and commercial applications of microbial recombinant DNA technology, this outstanding, single-source reference offers state-of-the-art reviews of gene expression in the most important classes of recombinant microorganisms-providing numerous examples of the expression of homologous genes or heterologous gene products. Presents a unique collection of safety and regulatory considerations from around the world and addresses specific measures to be taken for large-scale industrial operations!

Bridging the gap between laboratory observations and industrial practices, this work presents detailed information on recombinant micro-organisms and their applications in industry and agriculture. All recombinant microbes, bacteria, yeasts and fungi are covered.

Since newly created beings are often perceived as either wholly good or bad, the genetic alteration of living cells impacts directly on a symbolic meaning deeply imbedded in every culture. During the earlier years of gene expression research, te- nological applications were confined mainly to academic and industrial laboratories, and were perceived as highly beneficial since molecules that were previously unable to be separated or synthesized became accessible as therapeutic agents. Such were the success stories of hormones, antibodies, and vaccines produced in the bacterium Escherichia coli. Originally this bacterium gained fame among humans for being an unwanted host in the intestine, or worse yet, for being occasionally dangerous and pathogenic. H- ever, it was easily identified in contaminated waters during the 19th century, thus becoming a clear indicator of water pollution by human feces. Tamed, cultivated, and easily maintained in laboratories, its fast growth rate and metabolic capacity to adjust to changing environments fascinated the minds of scientists who studied and modeled such complex phenomena as growth, evolution, genetic exchange, infection, survival, adaptation, and further on—gene expression. Although at the lower end of the complexity scale, this microbe became a very successful model system and a key player in the fantastic revolution kindled by the birth of recombinant DNA technology.

With the advent of recombinant DNA technology, expressing heterologous proteins in microorganisms rapidly became the method of choice for their production at laboratory and industrial scale. Bacteria, yeasts and other hosts can be grown to high biomass levels efficiently and inexpensively. Obtaining high yields of recombinant proteins from this material was only feasible thanks to constant research on microbial genetics and physiology that led to novel strains, plasmids and cultivation strategies. Despite the spectacular expansion of the field, there is still much room for progress. Improving the levels of expression and the solubility of a recombinant protein can be quite challenging. Accumulation of the product in the cell can lead to stress responses which affect cell growth. Buildup of insoluble and biologically inactive aggregates (inclusion bodies) lowers the yield of production. This is particularly true for obtaining membrane proteins or high-molecular weight and multi-domain proteins. Also, obtaining eukaryotic proteins in a prokaryotic background (for example, plant or animal proteins in bacteria) results in a product that lack post-translational modifications, often required for functionality. Changing to a eukaryotic host (yeasts or filamentous fungi) may not be a proper solution since the pattern of sugar modifications is different than in higher eukaryotes. Still, many advances in the last couple of decades have provided to researchers a wide variety of strategies to maximize the production of their recombinant protein of choice. Everything starts with the careful selection of the host. Be it bacteria or yeast, a broad list of strains is available for overcoming codon use bias, incorrect disulfide bond formation, protein toxicity and lack of post-translational modifications. Also, a huge catalog of plasmids allows choosing for different fusion partners for improving solubility, protein secretion, chaperone co-expression, antibiotic resistance and promoter strength. Next, controlling culture conditions like temperature, inducer and media composition can bolster recombinant protein production. With this Research Topic, we aim to provide an encyclopedic account of the existing approaches to the expression of recombinant proteins in microorganisms, highlight recent discoveries and analyze the future prospects of this exciting and ever-growing field.

This book offers an exhaustive treatment of the techniques in the multidisciplinary field of applied microbiology, and a detailed survey of recent and important advances. It will be of great value to students and professionals involved in the fields of biotechnology, applied and industrial microbiology, and biochemical engineering.

Advances in Bioprocess Engineering, the latest release in the Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering series, provides a comprehensive overview of bioprocess systems, kinetics, bioreactor design, batch and continuous reactors and introduces key principles that enable bioprocess engineers to engage in analysis, optimization and design with consistent control over biological and chemical transformations. The bioprocessing sector is also updating its technologies with state-of-the art techniques to keep up with the rising demand of the industry and R&D. This book covers these aspects, taking readers through a step-by-step journey of bioprocessing while also guiding them towards a new era and future. - Covers state-of-the-art, technological advancements in the field of bioprocessing - Includes design and scale-up of bioreactors, monitoring and control systems, advances in upstream and downstream processing - Includes design and development of fermentation processes such as the suitability of experimental design, full factorial, central composite design, Box-Behnken, Plackett-Burman, and more

Protein Biotechnology and Biochemistry is a complete and definitive source of information for all those interested in the area, providing a broad overview of the various medical, diagnostic and industrial uses of proteins. It covers basic biochemical principles as well as providing a comprehensive survey of products currently available or under development. * The new edition has been thoroughly updated with new material. * The key difference is that this new edition will include more "pure" biochemistry. * There are two completely new chapters: Protein Structure - an overview and Novel Proteins from Novel Sources. Chapter 2, Protein Structure, an overview and chapter 3, Protein Purification & Characterisation, make up approximately 30% of the book. These chapters concentrate on the basic biochemical principles of proteins and will lay the foundations for the rest of the book. The remaining chapters focus on protein biotechnology and have been rearranged, updated and expanded.