Microbial Biotechnology

Products from Microorganisms

LECTURE 12:

Biotechnology; 3 Credit hours

Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB)

National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST)

Products from Microorganisms

• A number of commercially important compounds are produced from microorganism by biotechnology. That includes;

• Metabolites• Enzymes• Antibiotics• Natural Rubber• Fuels• Plastics

1. Metabolites

• Two types of metabolites are produced by microbial cell1. Primary metabolite2. Secondary metabolite

Primary metabolite• They are produced during the organism growth

phase. • These compound are essential to an organism

metabolism and can be intermediate metabolite or end products

Metabolites Cont.'s

Secondary Metabolites• They are derived from primary metabolites or the

intermediates of primary metabolites• They are characteristically produced quite late in

the growth cycle• They are not essential for the cell growth or

function• Their specific functions are unknown, these

compound probably give the organism selective advantage against its competitors in its natural environment

Primary Metabolites Secondary Metabolites

Amino Acids Antibiotics

Vitamins Pigments

Nucleotides Toxins

Polysaccharides Alkaloids

Ethanol Many active pharmacological compounds

Acetone Immuno suppressor cyclosporins etc.

Butanol

Lactic Acid

Metabolites Cont.'s

2. Enzymes

• Enzymes isolated from microorganism and fungi have applications in the production of food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals and detergents

• High fructose corn syrup by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens for β-amylase, Aspergillus niger for glucoamylase and Arthrobacter sp. For glucose isomerase

Enzymes Cont.’sEnzymes Uses

Lipases Enhance flavor in cheese making

Lactase Breaks down lactose to glucose and galactose; lactose free milk products

Protease Detergent additive; hydrolase suspended proteins in beer that form during brewing for a less cloudy chilled beer

α-amylase Used in production of high fructose corn syrup

Pectinase Degrades pectin to soluble components, reduce cloudiness in chilled wine, fruit juice

Tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) Dissolves blood clots

• Recombinant DNA technology provides way to mass produce industrially important enzymes

• How???• The search for new microorganism and

enzymes is going on• Less than 1% of the world’s microorganism

have been cultured and characterized• Hence they represent an untapped gold mine

Enzymes Cont.’s

• Microbes have adapted to practically every habitat, they have evolved complex biochemical pathways

• Scientist are discovering new enzymes from microorganism, extremophiles, as well as those found in wastewater that may be applicable to a variety of industrial processes

• Once enzyme and its application identified, it can be improved for enhanced catalytic properties, modified substrate recognition through genetic engineering

Enzymes Cont.’s

• Antibiotics are small metabolites with antimicrobial activity; produced by Gram +ve, G–ve and fungi

• Their role in nature is to enable the antibiotic producer to effectively compete for resources in the environment by killing or inhibiting the growth of competitor microorganism

3. Antibiotics

Antibiotics Cont.’s

• First antibiotic used was penicillin, discovered in 1929 by Alexder Fleming

• Antimicrobial drugs act is different ways by• Disrupting the plasma membrane• Inhibiting cell wall synthesis• Inhibiting protein synthesis; translation• Inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis and replication• Inhibiting synthesis of important metabolites;

folic acid etc.

Antibiotics Cont.’s