Microbial Biotechnology

By Asmamaw Tesfaw (PhD)

Contact Address
• Office number: Post graduate building
Room Number 514
• Telephone: 0911956817 a
• Email: asmamawtesfaw@dbu.edu.et
 Chapter 1
Introduction and overview

1.1.The nature of microorganisms, their

physiology and habitat
• Microbes (microorganisms) are tiny
organisms that are too small to be seen
individually by the naked eye and must be
viewed with the help of a microscope
– Bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa
• Structural Features of Bacteria
– Small (1–5 µm)
– No nucleus; DNA is contained in a single, circular
chromosome
– May contain plasmids
– Cell wall that surrounds plasma membrane contains
peptidoglycan; provides rigidity for protection
– Some bacteria contain an outer layer of
carbohydrates in a structure called a capsule
• Bacteria are classified by the Gram stain
– Gram + bacteria stain purple
• Have simple cell walls rich in peptidoglycan
– Gram – bacteria stain pink
• Have complex cell wall structures with less peptidoglycan
• Single, circular chromosome is relatively small
– 2–4 million base pairs
• Some bacteria contain plasmids as well
– Plasmids often contain genes for antibiotic resistance
and genes encoding proteins that form connecting tubes
called pili
– Plasmids are an essential tool for biotechnology
• Bacteria grow and divide rapidly
– Divide every 20 minutes or so
– Millions of cells can be grown on small dishes of agar or
in liquid culture media
• Easy-to-make mutant strains to be used for
molecular and genetic studies
• Yeast – single-celled eukaryotic microbes; fungi
– Sources of antibiotics and drugs that lower cholesterol
– Mechanisms of gene expression resemble those in
human cells
– Can grow in the presence of oxygen (aerobic) or in the
absence of oxygen (anaerobic)
– Pichia pastoris
• Grows to a higher density in liquid culture than other yeast
strains
• Has a number of strong promotors that can be used for
production of proteins
• Can be used in batch processes to produce large number of
cells
 1.2. Beneficial and harmful aspects of
microorganisms
Beneficial aspects Harmful aspects
• Increase soil fertility • Cause diseases in plants,
• Nutrient cycling animal and human
• Waste removal • Destroy important materials
• Tools for study such as clothes, paper,
timbers, shoes etc via
• Industrial products
decomposition
• Food production
• Bio-control
1.3. Microbial Biotechnology and its
History of
biotechnology
origin
 Stages of biotechnology
Ancient biotechnology
early history as related to food and shelter
including domestication
Classical biotechnology
Fermentation for production of vinegar, acetone,
alcohols, antibiotics etc
Modern Biotechnology
Cell Biology
Molecular biology: transcription and translation,
genetic code
 History of microbial biotechnology
Microbial biotechnology is defined as any
technological applications that uses
microbiological systems, microbial organisms, or
derivatives thereof to make or modify products
or processes for specific uses
The history microbial biotechnology is directly
related to the history of microbiology
 Applied and Industrial microbiology

Phases Year Major activity

1 Up to 1900 Alcoholic fermentation
2 1900-1940 Antibiotic period
3 1940-1964 Single cell protein period
4 1964-1979 Metabolite production period
5 1979 onwards Biotechnology period
1.4. Use and application of microbes in
biotechnology