Metabolic Engineering - T. Scheper and Jens Nielsen
Preface
With the introduction of genetic engineering of Escherichia coli by Cohen, Boyer
and co-workers
in 1973,
the way was paved for a completely new approach to
optimisation of existing biotech processes and development of completely new
ones. This lead to new biotech processes for the production of recombinant proteins,
e. g. the production of human insulin by a recombinant E. coli.With the
further development in genetic engineering techniques the possibility ofto applying
this for optimisation of classical fermentation processes soon became
obvious, and advancements in genetic engineering allowed a far more rational
approach to strain improvement than the classical approach of mutagenesis and
screening, namely introduction of directed genetic changes through rDNA technology.
In 1991, this led Bailey to discuss the emerging of a new science called
metabolic engineering, which he defined as “the improvement of cellular activities
by manipulations of enzymatic, transport, and regulatory functions of the
cell with the use of recombinant DNA technology”. Initially metabolic engineering
was simply the technological manifestation of applied molecular biology,
but with the rapid development in new analytical- and cloning techniques, it has
become possible to introduce directed genetic changes rapidly and subsequently
analyse
the consequences
of
the introduced changes at the cellular level.
In recent years, there has been a rapid development in the field of metabolic
engineering, and this has resulted in extensive number of reviews in the field
(see e. g. Nielsen, 2001)., There has been one text book describing the principles
and methodologies of metabolic engineering (Stephanopoulos et al., 1998), and
a multi-author book with many excellent examples of metabolic engineering
edited by Lee and Papoutsakis (1999). A journal fully devoted to this topic has
appeared (*), there are sessions on metabolic engineering at
most conferences on biochemical engineering and applied microbiology, and a
conference series devoted to this topic has developed. With this extensive coverage
of
this rapidly growing research field, it is impossible to cover all aspects of
metabolic engineering in a single issue of Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology.
However, several key examples of metabolic engineering
will be reviewed in this volume:
Download
*
Preface
With the introduction of genetic engineering of Escherichia coli by Cohen, Boyer
and co-workers
in 1973,
the way was paved for a completely new approach to
optimisation of existing biotech processes and development of completely new
ones. This lead to new biotech processes for the production of recombinant proteins,
e. g. the production of human insulin by a recombinant E. coli.With the
further development in genetic engineering techniques the possibility ofto applying
this for optimisation of classical fermentation processes soon became
obvious, and advancements in genetic engineering allowed a far more rational
approach to strain improvement than the classical approach of mutagenesis and
screening, namely introduction of directed genetic changes through rDNA technology.
In 1991, this led Bailey to discuss the emerging of a new science called
metabolic engineering, which he defined as “the improvement of cellular activities
by manipulations of enzymatic, transport, and regulatory functions of the
cell with the use of recombinant DNA technology”. Initially metabolic engineering
was simply the technological manifestation of applied molecular biology,
but with the rapid development in new analytical- and cloning techniques, it has
become possible to introduce directed genetic changes rapidly and subsequently
analyse
the consequences
of
the introduced changes at the cellular level.
In recent years, there has been a rapid development in the field of metabolic
engineering, and this has resulted in extensive number of reviews in the field
(see e. g. Nielsen, 2001)., There has been one text book describing the principles
and methodologies of metabolic engineering (Stephanopoulos et al., 1998), and
a multi-author book with many excellent examples of metabolic engineering
edited by Lee and Papoutsakis (1999). A journal fully devoted to this topic has
appeared (*), there are sessions on metabolic engineering at
most conferences on biochemical engineering and applied microbiology, and a
conference series devoted to this topic has developed. With this extensive coverage
of
this rapidly growing research field, it is impossible to cover all aspects of
metabolic engineering in a single issue of Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology.
However, several key examples of metabolic engineering
will be reviewed in this volume:
Download
*