Biotechnology is ‘the development of techniques for the application of biological processes to the production of materials of use in medicine and industry’. The successful use of microorganisms in bioremediation depends on the development of a basic understanding of the genetics of a broad spectrum of microorganisms, many of them not yet isolated or studied in any detail. Micro-organisms adapted to degrade specific pollutants have been found among populations growing naturally at polluted sites. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying specific adaptations are poorly understood. In the past, researchers have been unable to conduct genetic studies on these hard-to-culture organisms, but recent developments now make it possible to isolate and study genes of almost any organism. Scientists now can analyse genes that govern a wide variety of metabolic processes, including the degradation of environmental pollutants. Such genetic analyses provides information about mechanisms underlying the operation and evolution of degradation pathways. This book is structured to encourage the reader to use basic scientific and biochemical engineering concepts in genetics and microbial biotechnology.
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