Diatoms in biotechnology: modern tools and applications

Diatoms have played a decisive role in the ecosystem for millions of years as one of the foremost set of oxygen synthesizers on earth and as one of the most important sources of biomass in oceans. Previously, diatoms have been almost exclusively limited to academic research with little consideration of their practical uses beyond the most rudimentary of applications. Efforts have been made to establish them as decisively useful in such commercial and industrial applications as the carbon neutral synthesis of fuels, pharmaceuticals, health foods, biomolecules, materials relevant to nanotechnology, and bioremediators of contaminated water. Progress in the technologies of diatom molecular biology such as genome projects from model organisms, as well as culturing conditions and photobioreactor efficiency, may be able to be combined in the near future to make diatoms a lucrative source of novel substances with widespread relevance.     

Sugarcane biotechnology: The challenges and opportunities

Summary Commercial sugarcane, belonging to the genus Saccharum (Poaceae), is an important industrial crop accounting for nearly 70% of sugar produced worldwide. Compared to other major crops, efforts to improve sugarcane are limited and relatively recent, with the first introduction of interspecific hybrids about 80 yr ago. Progress in traditional breeding of sugareane, a highly polyploid and frequently aneuploid plant, is impeded by its narrow gene pool, complex genome, poor fertility, and the long breeding/selection cycle. These constraints, however, make sugarcane a good candidate for molecular breeding. In the past decade considerable progress has been made in understanding and manipulating the sugarcane genome using various biotechnological and cell biological approaches. Notable among them are the creation of transgenic plants with improved agronomic or other important traits, advances in genomics and molecular markers, and progress in understanding the molecular aspects of sucrose transport and accumulation. More recently, substantial effort has been directed towards developing sugarcane as a biofactory for high-value products. While these achievements are commendable, a greater understanding of the sugarcane genome, and cell and whole plant physiology, will accelerate the implementation of commercially significant biotechnology outcomes. We anticipate that the rapid advancements in molecular biology and emerging biotechnology innovations would play a significant role in the future sugarcane crop improvement programs and offer many new opportunities to develop it as a new-generation industrial crop.     

Multi-catalysis reactions: new prospects and challenges of biotechnology to valorize lignin

Considerable effort has been dedicated to the chemical depolymerization of lignin, a biopolymer constituting a possible renewable source for aromatic value-added chemicals. However, these efforts yielded limited success up until now. Efficient lignin conversion might necessitate novel catalysts enabling new types of reactions. The use of multiple catalysts, including a combination of biocatalysts, might be necessary. New perspectives for the combination of bio- and inorganic catalysts in one-pot reactions are emerging, thanks to green chemistry-driven advances in enzyme engineering and immobilization and new chemical catalyst design. Such combinations could offer several advantages, especially by reducing time and yield losses associated with the isolation and purification of the reaction products, but also represent a big challenge since the optimal reaction conditions of bio- and chemical catalysis reactions are often different. This mini-review gives an overview of bio- and inorganic catalysts having the potential to be used in combination for lignin depolymerization. We also discuss key aspects to consider when combining these catalysts in one-pot reactions.     

Rapeseed and sunflower meal: a review on biotechnology status and challenges

Rapeseed and sunflower are two of the world's major oilseeds. Rapeseed and sunflower meal (RSM and SFM), the by-products of oil extraction, are produced in large quantities. They are mainly composed of proteins, lignocellulosic fibres and minerals. They were initially used as a protein complement in animal feed rations and sometimes as fertilizer or as combustible source. More recently, new alternatives to these traditional uses have been developed that draw on the structure and physicochemical properties of RSM and SFM, which are plentiful sources of nitrogen and carbon nutrients. This feature, together with their cheapness and ready availability, supports the cultivation of various microorganisms in both submerged cultures and solid-state fermentation. Recent studies have thus emphasized the potential utilisation of RSM and SFM in fermentative processes, including saccharification and production of enzymes, antibiotics, antioxidants and other bio-products, opening new challenging perspectives in white biotechnology applications.     

浅析现代生物技术的历史渊源与发展

生物技术 (ｂｉｏｔｅｃｈｎｏｌｏｇｙ)是由英文“ｂｉｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌｔｅｃｈ ｎｏｌｏｇｙ”组合而成的 ,直译为“生物工艺学”。生物技术是对 2 0世纪 70年代以来出现的新的生物体操纵技术的称呼。尽管生物技术这个概念出现得比较晚 ,但是人类对生物体的利用、操作和改造的历史 ,则可追溯到史前时代。1　经验形态的技术人类属于异养型的生命形态。人类要生存下去 ,必须从外界摄取营养物质 ,以其它生物体为食。这就促使人类去认识和利用周围的生物体 ,以至于对它们进行改造。人类首先通过采集、狩猎等方式获得生物体及其成分 ,对它们进…     

Irish public perceptions and attitudes to modern biotechnology: an overview with a focus on GM foods

This article summarizes the current situation pertaining to modern biotechnology in Ireland, with a particular focus on genetically modified (GM) crops. It briefly examines some important results of the major national surveys carried out in Ireland since 1989, highlights the recent upsurge in media (newspaper) coverage of GM related stories in three Irish opinion leader publications and it allows for an insight into the Irish public's relationship with modern biotechnology.     

Signal transduction and biotechnology in response to environmental stresses

Providing sufficient food to burgeoning population from the steadily shrinking arable land seems to be very difficult in near future and is one of the foremost challenges for plant scientists. In addition, there are several biotic and abiotic stresses which frequently encounter crop plants during various stages of life cycle, resulting in considerable yield losses. Environmental stresses, including drought, flooding, salinity, temperature (both low and high), high radiation, and xenobiotics induce toxicity, membrane damage, excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, reduced photosynthesis, and altered nutrient acquisition. Several indigenous defence mechanisms (physiological and molecular) are triggered in plants on exposure to environmental cues. Enhancement of resistance of crop plants to environmental stresses has been the topic of prime interest for agriculturalists and plant scientists since long. Development of water and salinity stress-tolerant crops through genetic engineering provides an avenue towards the reclamation of farmlands that have been lost due to salinity and lack of irrigation water/rainfall. Understanding the complexity of stress tolerance mechanisms in orthodox or model plants at the genetic and molecular levels improves feasibility of enhancing tolerance of sensitive crop plants.     

New challenges and opportunities for industrial biotechnology

ABSTRACT: Industrial biotechnology has not developed as fast as expected due to some challenges including the emergences of alternative energy sources, especially shale gas, natural gas hydrate (or gas hydrate) and sand oil et al. The weaknesses of microbial or enzymatic processes compared with the chemical processing also make industrial biotech products less competitive with the chemical ones. However, many opportunities are still there if industrial biotech processes can be as similar as the chemical ones. Taking advantages of the molecular biology and synthetic biology methods as well as changing process patterns, we can develop bioprocesses as competitive as chemical ones, these including the minimized cells, open and continuous fermentation processes et al.     

Opening remarks SIVB congress 2001: Opportunities and challenges in plant biotechnology

Summary U.S. Senator Christopher Bond joined Dr. Roger Beachy at the podium during the Society for In Vitro Biology’s 2001 Congress Plenary Session on Opportunities and Challenges in Plant Biotechnology to Benefit Health and Sustainability, on June 17, 2001, in St. Louis, Missouri. Senator Bond presented an advocate’s view regarding the benefits of plant biotechnology development. The strengths of the biotechnology regulatory system were extolled. The opportunities of this new technology to produce more and nutritionally superior food, additional plant-based medicines and vaccines, plant-based renewable sources of energy, and renewable industrial products were outlined. The benefits to the environment by adopting plant biotechnological innovations were discussed. Developing public policy regarding this new technology should be based on facts, science, and reason.     

Bringing medicinal plants into cultivation: opportunities and challenges for biotechnology

Consumption of herbal medicines is widespread and increasing. Harvesting from the wild, the main source of raw material, is causing loss of genetic diversity and habitat destruction. Domestic cultivation is a viable alternative and offers the opportunity to overcome the problems that are inherent in herbal extracts: misidentification, genetic and phenotypic variability, extract variability and instability, toxic components and contaminants. The use of controlled environments can overcome cultivation difficulties and could be a means to manipulate phenotypic variation in bioactive compounds and toxins. Conventional plant-breeding methods can improve both agronomic and medicinal traits, and molecular marker assisted selection will be used increasingly. There has been significant progress in the use of tissue culture and genetic transformation to alter pathways for the biosynthesis of target metabolites. Obstacles to bringing medicinal plants into successful commercial cultivation include the difficulty of predicting which extracts will remain marketable and the likely market preference for what is seen as naturally sourced extracts.     

Plant biotechnology in South Africa: Micropropagation research endeavours, prospects and challenges

Research in plant biotechnology is playing a crucial role in the production and conservation of plant-based resources globally. Being a country with rich and diverse floral resources, South Africa has a genuine opportunity to develop efficient and competitive plant biotechnology sectors. South Africa has a policy framework, in the form of a National Biotechnology Strategy that supports biotechnology research. The presence of competitive research infrastructure coupled with the government's willingness to commit significant resources will certainly help realise this. South Africa's plant biotechnology research has potential to make more significant contributions to the national economy. In this review, whilst highlighting the success, the research endeavours, prospects and challenges hindering the practical application of micropropagation research outputs are discussed.     

Cancer modeling in the modern era: progress and challenges

Genetically engineered mouse models have contributed extensively to the field of cancer research. The ability to manipulate the mouse germline affords numerous approaches toward understanding the complexities of this disease, possibly providing accurate preclinical models for therapeutic and diagnostic advances. This review highlights some of the current strategies for modeling cancer in the mouse, recent accomplishments, and key remaining challenges.     

丛枝菌根（AM）生物技术在现代农业体系中的生态意义

菌根是植物根系与特定的土壤真菌形成的共生体,有利于生态系统中养分循环,协助植物抵御不良环境胁迫．自然条件下,大多数植物表现一定的菌根依赖性,在植株根系发育过程中如能与适宜的菌根真菌形成良好的菌根结构,可提高产量,改善品质,其中丛枝菌根是最普遍的类型．丛枝菌根帮助植物抵御不良环境胁迫及病虫害,促进植物健康生长,可减少化学肥料、杀虫剂施用量,以减少对环境、生态不利的化学物质施用量．丛枝菌根共生体可加速根系生长,提高对移动性低的无机离子吸收,加速养分循环利用,增强植物对不良胁迫(生物与非生物)因素的耐受力,形成良好的土壤结构,提高植物群体的多样性．文章综述了丛枝菌根真菌生态特征,丛枝菌根对寄主植物的影响,丛枝菌根生物技术应用于农业体系的生态意义及其应用潜力．