Industrial biotechnology for the production of proteins/enzymes for a sustainable future

Worldwide emergence of Industrial biotechnology (IB) is providing opportunities to produce enzymes/proteins with variety of industrial/therapeutic applications. In transitioning the Australian economy towards a sustainable future, Federal government identified the development of IB pathway which would ensure increased productivity, enhanced sustainability, health, safety and reduced environmental footprint. The presentation will revolve around specific stories that drives Deakin University newest technology platform which applies biology and fermentation in an integrated way to play a crucial role in developing cost-effective technologies for the development of molecules that can benefit pharmaceutical and food industry in regional Victoria and Australia in general. The talk will also highlight specific examples where new products like recombinant rhamnosidase (an enzyme used for the production of flavonoids with health benefits) and ribosome inactivating proteins (detected in medicinal plants which possess RNA N- glycosidase activity that depurinates the major rRNA, thus damaging ribosome in an irreversible manner and arresting protein synthesis) would be made available through bioprocessing.

Ribosome inactivating proteins (RIPs) : a promising candidate for industrial biotechnology

The ribosome inactivating proteins (RIPs) from plants possess RNA N- glycosidase activity that depurinates the major rRNA, thus damaging ribosomes in an irreversible manner and arresting protein synthesis. RIPs are presently classified as rRNA N-glycosidase in the enzyme nomenclature (EC 3.2.2.22) and do exhibit other enzymatic activities such as ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease activities. RIPs have been shown to manifest anti-tumor, anti-viral and anti-microbial activities. RIPs are detected in some medicinal plants but the yields are insufficient to warrant their availability to conduct clinical trials thus limiting its therapeutic potential. Here, an approach based on "bioprocess development" shall be discussed that may enhance the yield of RIPs. It is anticipated; with the involvement of “Industrial biotechnology” the eventual availability of RIPs in large quantities shall be accomplished.

Biotechnology in U.S. agriculture: Trade consequences for dairy products

The emergence of synthetic bovine Somatotropin (bST) is one of the most widely discussed advances in biotechnology. Its potential impacts on milk production around the world could be significant. However, the exact economic impacts of bST in any one region depends on a number of factors, some of which are still highly controversial.

This article sets out to estimate the economic impacts of the adoption of bST in the United States, the single largest milk producer in the Western world. A quarterly econometric model of the U.S. dairy sector is used to forecast the total production, consumption, and excess supply of milk to 1995. The preliminary results indicate that under the assumption of a gradual rate of adoption and a 15 percent milk production response, the United States could be exporting as much milk as New Zealand by 1995. Should the production response rate or the adoption rate be higher, the United States could indeed become a major competitor in the world dairy market by 1995.

Although such a development could adversely impact on other dairy exporters, such as New Zealand, the precise economic impacts on world prices and trade would depend crucially on the position that other major dairy producers, especially the EC, adopt with respect to the use of bST.

Nature, extent and antecedents of risk management in accounting, law and biotechnology firms in Australia

This paper provides empirical evidence on the nature and the extent of risks faced by small and medium-sized biotechnology and professional service firms (accounting and law) in Australia, as well as on the style of their adopted risk management methods and approaches. The findings of the study indicate that the top three risks faced by these firms are related to reputation, recruiting and retaining skilled staff, and cost management. The study also finds that more than half of the respondent firms manage risk in an integrated manner. The results of this study provide useful insights into the nature, extent and driving forces of risk management practices in these firms.

X-ray crystallography : applications in the biotechnology research

X-ray crystallography is essentially a form of very high resolution microscopy. It enables us to visualize protein structures at the atomic level and enhances our understanding of protein function. Specifically we can study how proteins interact with other molecules, how they undergo conformational changes, and how they perform catalysis in the case of enzymes. Armed with this information we can design novel drugs that target a particular protein, or rationally engineer an enzyme for a specific industrial process.

Metal and metalloid containing natural products and a brief overview of their applications in biology, biotechnology and biomedicine

Bioinorganic natural product chemistry is a relatively unexplored but rapidly developing field with enormous potential for applications in biology, biotechnology (especially in regards to nanomaterial development, synthesis and environmental cleanup) and biomedicine. In this review the occurrence of metals and metalloids in natural products and their synthetic derivatives are reviewed. A broad overview of the area is provided followed by a discussion on the more common metals and metalloids found in natural sources, and an overview of the requirements for future research. Special attention is given to metal hyperaccumulating plants and their use in chemical synthesis and bioremediation, as well as the potential uses of metals and metalloids as therapeutic agents. The potential future applications and development in the field are also discussed.

Mitochondrial genotype segregation and effects during mammalian development: Applications to biotechnology

Mitochondria are endosymbiotic organelles responsible for energy production in practically every eukaryotic cell. Their uniparental fashion of inheritance, maternally inherited in mammals, and the homogeneity of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) within individuals and matrilineages, are biological phenomena that remain unexplained. This paper reviews some of the recent findings on mitochondrial influences on the manner in which embryos develop and how their genotypes are inherited in mammals, with particular emphasis on the genetic bottleneck effect. Animal models carrying a mix of mtDNAs (heteroplasmic) have been produced by karyoplast and cytoplast transplantation to analyze the segregation patterns at different stages during embryogenesis, in fetuses and offspring. Comparisons performed between murine and bovine reveal interesting changes in segregation and replication of transplanted mtDNAs. We have recently obtained Bos indicus and Bos taurus fetuses and calves from embryos reconstructed using enucleated polymorphic oocytes of Bos taurus origin. These and other findings on mitochondrial biology will have important implications in determining the cytoplasmic genotype of clones and in the preservation of endangered breeds and species. (C) 1999 by Elsevier B.V.

Biotechnology and fish culture

Biotechnology can currently be considered of importance in aquaculture. The increase in the production of aquatic organisms over the last two decades through the use of biotechnology indicates that in a few generations biotechnology may overtake conventional techniques, at least for the commercially more valuable species. In the last few years, genetics has contributed greatly to fish culture through the application of the more recent techniques developed in biotechnology and in genetic engineering. At present, the most commonly used methods in fish biotechnology are chromosome manipulation and hormonal treatments, which can be used to produce triploid, tetraploid, haploid, gynogenetic and androgenetic fish. These result in the production of individuals and lineages of sterile, monosex or highly endogamic fish. The use of such strategies in fish culture has as a practical objective the control of precocious sexual maturation in certain species; other uses are the production of larger specimens by control of the reproductive process and the attainment of monosex lines containing only those individuals of greater commercial value. The use of new technologies, such as those involved in gene transfer in many species, can result in modified individuals of great interest to aquaculturists and play important roles in specific programmes of fish production in the near future.

Technological evaluation of biotechnology capability in Amazon institutions

Includes bibliography

Biotechnology: origins and development in the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

A study on applicability of biotechnology to development in the Caribbean opportunities and risks

The present study analyzes the potential opportunities and risks involved in employing biotechnologies in the Caribbean region. This information would support developmental policies in the areas of food security, climate change and poverty reduction. The report provides a brief overview of biotechnology development, covering industrial and other microbial biotechnologies, tissue culture and molecular biology. Details of opportunities and risks of biotechnology development are provided for agricultural, industrial, environmental, industrial and medical biotechnology, with information on the global agreements for regulation of genetically modified organisms. The rest of the report analyzes the Caribbean situation. Biotechnology applications, opportunities and risks in the Caribbean are described in detail, with focus on industrial and agricultural biotechnology, and including climate change and constraints to biotechnology development. The report closes with a discussion of the applicability of biotechnology to the region in terms of agricultural, industrial, environmental, medical and marine biotechnology. Conclusions and recommendations are provided. The main conclusion of the study is that there is an urgent need for development and use of biotechnology in the Caribbean, especially in nonagro- biotech sectors, to address food security, climate change, poverty, environmental degradation, among other issues. In so doing, countries must take advantage of the opportunities presented by biotechnology to gain competitive advantage and benefits, while at the same time put measures in place to reduce or remove associated risks. This must be done taking into consideration economic as well as social and cultural issues.

Policy brief: biotechnology with special reference to the Caribbean

The biotechnology movement in the Caribbean is a fledgling industry that has tremendous potential for development. It focuses on the use of fermentation and enzyme technologies, tissue culture and recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology and is more greatly applied to plant varieties rather than animal species. Tissue culture is by far the most developed type of technology but increasing attention is being paid to rDNA technology. Main areas include application in the agriculture sector but the use in medicine and biology are also being promoted. In its purest form, the term "biotechnology" refers to the use of living organisms or their products to modify human health and the human environment for commercial purposes. The term brings to mind many different things. Some think of developing new types of animals while others anticipate almost unlimited sources of human therapeutic drugs. Still others envision the possibility of growing crops that are more nutritious and naturally pest-resistant to feed a rapidly growing world population. Biotechnology in one form or another has flourished since prehistoric times. When the first human beings realized that they could plant their own crops and breed their own animals, they learned to use biotechnology. The discovery that fruit juices fermented into wine or that milk could be converted into cheese or yogurt, or that beer could be made by fermenting solutions of malt and hops began the study of biotechnology. When the first bakers found that they could make soft, spongy bread rather than a firm, thin cracker, they were acting as fledgling biotechnologists. The first animal breeders, realizing that different physical traits could be either magnified or lost by mating appropriate pairs of animals, engaged in the manipulations of biotechnology. Throughout human history, we have learned a great deal about the different organisms that our ancestors used so effectively. The marked increase in our understanding of these organisms and their cell products gains us the ability to control the many functions of various cells and organisms. Using the techniques of gene splicing and recombinant DNA technology, we can now actually combine the genetic elements of two or more living cells. Functioning lengths of DNA can be taken from one organism and placed into the cells of another organism. As a result, for example, we can cause bacterial cells to produce human molecules. Cows can produce more milk for the same amount of feed. And we can synthesize therapeutic molecules that have never before existed.