Novel high-performance metagenome β-galactosidases for lactose hydrolysis in the dairy industry.

The industrially utilised β-galactosidases from Kluyveromyces spp. and Aspergillus spp. feature undesirable kinetic properties in praxis, such as an unsatisfactory lactose affinity (KM) and product inhibition (KI) by galactose.

Updating the metagenomics toolbox.

Metagenomics--the application of the genomics suit of technologies to uncultivated microorganisms--is coming of age. Sophisticated technologies are being developed and adapted to this promising genetic resource to make increasing use of the seemingly boundless molecular and functional diversity. Particular progress has been made in the areas of randomly proliferating limited-source DNA, massively parallel sequencing without cloning, isolating specific target sequences from highly complex template mixtures, high-throughput assay systems targeting metabolic pathways, artificial transcriptional regulators activating reporter genes to indicate enzymatic substrate conversion and cDNA cloning from extracted mRNA to directly clone actively expressed genes from a microbial consortium.

Development of a compression molding process for three-dimensional tailored free-form glass optics.

Because of the limitation of manufacturing capability, free-form glass optics cannot be produced in a large volume using traditional processes such as grinding, lapping, and polishing. Very recently compression molding of glass optics became a viable manufacturing process for the high-volume production of precision glass optical components. An ultraprecision diamond-turning machine retrofitted with a fast tool servo was used to fabricate a free-form optical mold on a nickel-plated surface.

Metagenomics: an inexhaustible access to nature's diversity.

The chemical industry has an enormous need for innovation. To save resources, energy and time, currently more and more established chemical processes are being switched to biotechnological routes. This requires white biotechnology to discover and develop novel enzymes, biocatalysts and applications.

Biocatalytic deuterium- and hydrogen-transfer using over-expressed ADH-'A': enhanced stereoselectivity and 2H-labeled chiral alcohols.

Employing the over-expressed highly organic solvent tolerant alcohol dehydrogenase ADH-'A' from Rhodococcus ruber DSM 44541, versatile building blocks, which were not accessible by the wild type catalyst, were obtained in > 99% e.e.; furthermore, employing d8-2-propanol as deuterium source, stereoselective biocatalytic deuterium transfer was made feasible to furnish enantiopure deuterium labeled sec-alcohols on a preparative scale employing a single enzyme.

Screening for novel enzymes for biocatalytic processes: accessing the metagenome as a resource of novel functional sequence space.

Historically, biotechnology has missed up to 99% of existing microbial resources by using traditional screening techniques. Strategies of directly cloning 'environmental DNA' comprising the genetic blueprints of entire microbial consortia (the so-called 'metagenome') provide molecular sequence space that along with ingenious in vitro evolution technologies will act synergistically to bring a maximum of available sequence-space into biocatalytic application.