Microbial Biodegradation: Genomics and Molecular Biology

Interest in the microbial biodegradation of pollutants has intensified in recent years as mankind strive to fins sustainable ways to clean up contaminated environments. These bioremediation and biotransformation methods endeavour to harness the astonishing, naturally occurring, microbial catabolic diversity to degrade, transform or accumulate a huge range of compounds including hydrocarbons (e.g. oil), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pharmaceutical substances, radionuclides and metals. Major methodological breakthroughs in recent years have enabled detailed genomic, metagenomic, proteomic, bioinformatic and other high-throughput analyses of environmentally relevant microorganisms, providing unprecedented insights into key biodegradative pathways and the ability of organisms to adapt to changing environmental conditions. In this timely book, expert international authors critically review all of the most important topics in this exciting field. Although other books covering this are currently available, this book is unique in that it is the first to review the area from the perspectives of genomics and molecular biology. Topics covered include aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation of aromatic compounds, molecular detection methods (e.g. microautoradiography, mRNA analyses), genome-based predictive modelling, elucidation of regulatory networks, bioavailability, chemotaxis and transport issues, environmental stress responses, catabolic gene evolution and adaptative strategies for pollutant degradation, functional genomic analyses, natural attenuation, community fingerprinting and metagenomics, biotreatment, and biocatalysts engineering. Essential reading for microbial degradation and bioremediation scientists and of general interest for microbiologists working in the field of environmental microbiology. Book jacket.