This volume contains cutting-edge reviews by world-leading experts on the systems biology of microorganisms. As well as covering theoretical approaches and mathematical modelling this book includes case studies on single microbial species of bacteria and archaea, and explores the systems analysis of microbial phenomena such as chemotaxis and phagocytosis. Topics covered include mathematical models for systems biology, systems biology of Escherichia coli metabolism, bacterial chemotaxis, systems biology of infection, host-microbe interactions, phagocytosis, system-level study of metabolism in M.
The book serves as an amalgamation of knowledge and principles used in the area of systems and synthetic biology, and targets inter-disciplinary research groups. The readers from diversified areas would be benefited by the valuable resources and information available in one book. Microbiome projects with efficient data handling can fuel progress in the area of microbial synthetic biology by providing a ready to use plug and play chassis. Advances in gene editing technology such as the use of tailor made synthetic transcription factors will further enhance the availability of synthetic devices to be applied in the fields of environment, agriculture and health. The different chapters of the book reviews a broad range of topics, including food microbiome in ecology, use of microbiome in personalized medicine, machine learning in biomedicine. The book also describes ways to harness and exploit the incredible amounts of genomic data. The book is not only limited to medicine but also caters to the needs of environmentalists, biochemical engineers etc. It will be of interest to advanced students and researchers in life sciences, computational biology, microbiology and other inter-disciplinary areas.
Advances in Microbial Physiology is one of the most successful and prestigious series from Academic Press, an imprint of Elsevier. It publishes topical and important reviews, interpreting physiology to include all material that contributes to our understanding of how microorganisms and their component parts work. First published in 1967, it is now in its 64th volume. The Editors have always striven to interpret microbial physiology in the broadest context and have never restricted the contents to “traditional views of whole cell physiology. Now edited by Professor Robert Poole, University of Sheffield, Advances in Microbial Physiology continues to be an influential and very well reviewed series. Contributions from leading authorities Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field
Over 500 prokaryotic genomes have been sequenced to date, and thousands more have been planned for the next few years. While these genomic sequence data provide unprecedented opportunities for biologists to study the world of prokaryotes, they also raise extremely challenging issues such as how to decode the rich information encoded in these genomes. This comprehensive volume includes a collection of cohesively written chapters on prokaryotic genomes, their organization and evolution, the information they encode, and the computational approaches needed to derive such information. A comparative view of bacterial and archaeal genomes, and how information is encoded differently in them, is also presented. Combining theoretical discussions and computational techniques, the book serves as a valuable introductory textbook for graduate-level microbial genomics and informatics courses.
Although we can't usually see them, microbes are essential for every part of human life-indeed all life on Earth. The emerging field of metagenomics offers a new way of exploring the microbial world that will transform modern microbiology and lead to practical applications in medicine, agriculture, alternative energy, environmental remediation, and many others areas. Metagenomics allows researchers to look at the genomes of all of the microbes in an environment at once, providing a "meta" view of the whole microbial community and the complex interactions within it. It's a quantum leap beyond traditional research techniques that rely on studying-one at a time-the few microbes that can be grown in the laboratory. At the request of the National Science Foundation, five Institutes of the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy, the National Research Council organized a committee to address the current state of metagenomics and identify obstacles current researchers are facing in order to determine how to best support the field and encourage its success. The New Science of Metagenomics recommends the establishment of a "Global Metagenomics Initiative" comprising a small number of large-scale metagenomics projects as well as many medium- and small-scale projects to advance the technology and develop the standard practices needed to advance the field. The report also addresses database needs, methodological challenges, and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in supporting this new field.
Synthetic Biology provides a framework to examine key enabling components in the emerging area of synthetic biology. Chapters contributed by leaders in the field address tools and methodologies developed for engineering biological systems at many levels, including molecular, pathway, network, whole cell, and multi-cell levels. The book highlights exciting practical applications of synthetic biology such as microbial production of biofuels and drugs, artificial cells, synthetic viruses, and artificial photosynthesis. The roles of computers and computational design are discussed, as well as future prospects in the field, including cell-free synthetic biology and engineering synthetic ecosystems.Synthetic biology is the design and construction of new biological entities, such as enzymes, genetic circuits, and cells, or the redesign of existing biological systems. It builds on the advances in molecular, cell, and systems biology and seeks to transform biology in the same way that synthesis transformed chemistry and integrated circuit design transformed computing. The element that distinguishes synthetic biology from traditional molecular and cellular biology is the focus on the design and construction of core components that can be modeled, understood, and tuned to meet specific performance criteria and the assembly of these smaller parts and devices into larger integrated systems that solve specific biotechnology problems. - Includes contributions from leaders in the field presents examples of ambitious synthetic biology efforts including creation of artificial cells from scratch, cell-free synthesis of chemicals, fuels, and proteins, engineering of artificial photosynthesis for biofuels production, and creation of unnatural living organisms - Describes the latest state-of-the-art tools developed for low-cost synthesis of ever-increasing sizes of DNA and efficient modification of proteins, pathways, and genomes - Highlights key technologies for analyzing biological systems at the genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic levels which are especially valuable in pathway, whole cell, and multi-cell applications - Details mathematical modeling tools and computational tools which can dramatically increase the speed of the design process as well as reduce the cost of development
Many potential applications of synthetic and systems biology are relevant to the challenges associated with the detection, surveillance, and responses to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. On March 14 and 15, 2011, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats convened a public workshop in Washington, DC, to explore the current state of the science of synthetic biology, including its dependency on systems biology; discussed the different approaches that scientists are taking to engineer, or reengineer, biological systems; and discussed how the tools and approaches of synthetic and systems biology were being applied to mitigate the risks associated with emerging infectious diseases. The Science and Applications of Synthetic and Systems Biology is organized into sections as a topic-by-topic distillation of the presentations and discussions that took place at the workshop. Its purpose is to present information from relevant experience, to delineate a range of pivotal issues and their respective challenges, and to offer differing perspectives on the topic as discussed and described by the workshop participants. This report also includes a collection of individually authored papers and commentary.
Microbial Cell Factories Engineering for Production of Biomolecules presents a compilation of chapters written by eminent scientists worldwide. Sections cover major tools and technologies for DNA synthesis, design of biosynthetic pathways, synthetic biology tools, biosensors, cell-free systems, computer-aided design, OMICS tools, CRISPR/Cas systems, and many more. Although it is not easy to find relevant information collated in a single volume, the book covers the production of a wide range of biomolecules from several MCFs, including Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas putida, Streptomyces, Corynebacterium, Cyanobacteria, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia pastoris and Yarrowia lipolytica, and algae, among many others. This will be an excellent platform from which scientific knowledge can grow and widen in MCF engineering research for the production of biomolecules. Needless to say, the book is a valuable source of information not only for researchers designing cell factories, but also for students, metabolic engineers, synthetic biologists, genome engineers, industrialists, stakeholders and policymakers interested in harnessing the potential of MCFs in several fields. - Offers basic understanding and a clear picture of various MCFs - Explains several tools and technologies, including DNA synthesis, synthetic biology tools, genome editing, biosensors, computer-aided design, and OMICS tools, among others - Harnesses the potential of engineered MCFs to produce a wide range of biomolecules for industrial, therapeutic, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and biotechnological applications - Highlights the advances, challenges, and future opportunities in designing MCFs
Beginning with the germ theory of disease in the 19th century and extending through most of the 20th century, microbes were believed to live their lives as solitary, unicellular, disease-causing organisms . This perception stemmed from the focus of most investigators on organisms that could be grown in the laboratory as cellular monocultures, often dispersed in liquid, and under ambient conditions of temperature, lighting, and humidity. Most such inquiries were designed to identify microbial pathogens by satisfying Koch's postulates.3 This pathogen-centric approach to the study of microorganisms produced a metaphorical "war" against these microbial invaders waged with antibiotic therapies, while simultaneously obscuring the dynamic relationships that exist among and between host organisms and their associated microorganisms-only a tiny fraction of which act as pathogens. Despite their obvious importance, very little is actually known about the processes and factors that influence the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities. Gaining this knowledge will require a seismic shift away from the study of individual microbes in isolation to inquiries into the nature of diverse and often complex microbial communities, the forces that shape them, and their relationships with other communities and organisms, including their multicellular hosts. On March 6 and 7, 2012, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop to explore the emerging science of the "social biology" of microbial communities. Workshop presentations and discussions embraced a wide spectrum of topics, experimental systems, and theoretical perspectives representative of the current, multifaceted exploration of the microbial frontier. Participants discussed ecological, evolutionary, and genetic factors contributing to the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities; how microbial communities adapt and respond to environmental stimuli; theoretical and experimental approaches to advance this nascent field; and potential applications of knowledge gained from the study of microbial communities for the improvement of human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health and toward a deeper understanding of microbial diversity and evolution. The Social Biology of Microbial Communities: Workshop Summary further explains the happenings of the workshop.
Concisely discussing the application of high throughput analysis to move forward our understanding of microbial principles, Metagenomics for Microbiology provides a solid base for the design and analysis of omics studies for the characterization of microbial consortia. The intended audience includes clinical and environmental microbiologists, molecular biologists, infectious disease experts, statisticians, biostatisticians, and public health scientists. This book focuses on the technological underpinnings of metagenomic approaches and their conceptual and practical applications. With the next-generation genomic sequencing revolution increasingly permitting researchers to decipher the coding information of the microbes living with us, we now have a unique capacity to compare multiple sites within individuals and at higher resolution and greater throughput than hitherto possible. The recent articulation of this paradigm points to unique possibilities for investigation of our dynamic relationship with these cellular communities, and excitingly the probing of their therapeutic potential in disease prevention or treatment of the future. - Expertly describes the latest metagenomic methodologies and best-practices, from sample collection to data analysis for taxonomic, whole shotgun metagenomic, and metatranscriptomic studies - Includes clear-headed pointers and quick starts to direct research efforts and increase study efficacy, eschewing ponderous prose - Presented topics include sample collection and preparation, data generation and quality control, third generation sequencing, advances in computational analyses of shotgun metagenomic sequence data, taxonomic profiling of shotgun data, hypothesis testing, and mathematical and computational analysis of longitudinal data and time series. Past-examples and prospects are provided to contextualize the applications.
