STRAIN IMPROVEMENT Techniques
CONTENT
S
• Introduction
• Ideal Characteristics of Strain
• Purpose of Strain Improvement
• Approaches for Strain Improvement
1. Mutant Selection
2. Recombination
3. Recombinant DNA Technology
• Novel technologies
• Applications
• Conclusion
• Reference
INTRODUCTION
Strain- A Strain is a group of species with one/ more
characteristics that distinguish it from other sub groups of
the same species of the strain. Each strain is identified by
a name, number or letter. Example:- E.coli Strain K12
Strain Improvement- The Science and Technology of
manipulating and improving microbial strains in order to
enhance their metabolic capacities is known as Strain
Improvement
Ideal Characteristics of Strain
Rapid growth
Genetic stability
Non-toxicity to humans
Ability to use cheaper substrates
Eliminationof the production of compounds that
may interfere with downstream processing
To improve the use of carbon and nitrogen sources.
Reduction of cultivation cost
Shorter fermentation time.
Purpose of Strain
Improvement
Increase the productivities
Regulating the activity of the enzymes
Introducing new genetic properties into the
organism by Recombinant DNA technology /
Genetic engineering.
Approaches for Strain
Improvement
Mutant Selection
Recombination
Recombinant DNA
Technology
MUTANT SELECTION
A MUTATION is a Sudden and Heritable change in the
traits of an organism.
Application of Mutagens to Induce mutation is called
MUTAGENESIS.
Agents capable of inducing mutations are called MUTGENS
Chemical mutagens–Alkylating agents, Acridine Dyes, etc.
Mutation occurring without any specific treatment are
called “ Spontaneous Mutation.”
Mutation are resulting due to a treatment with certain
agents are known as “Induced Mutation.”
Many Mutations bring about marked changes in the
Biochemical Characters of practical interest these are called
Major Mutations – these can be used in Strain
Improvement
Ex: Streptomyces griseus-Streptomycin-Mannosidostreptomycin
Ex: Streptomyces aurofaciens(S-604) –
Produce 6-demethyl tetracycline in place of Tetracycline
In contrast, most improvements in biochemical production
have been due to the Stepwise accumulation of so called
Minor genes.
Ex: Pencillium chrysogenum – Strain E15-1 was obtained which
yield 55% more penicillin than original strain
Reports on strain improvement by mutation-
• Karana and Medicherla (2006)- lipase from Aspergillus
japonicus MTCC 1975- mutation using UV, HNO2, NTG
showed 127%, 177%, 276% higher lipase yield than parent
strain respectively.
• First superior penicillin producing mutant, Penicillium
chrysogenum X-1612,was isolated after X ray mutagenesis.
Isolation of
mutants
The following points highlight the four methods to detect
and isolate mutants. The methods are: 1. Replica Plating
Technique 2. Resistance Selection Method 3. Substrate
Utilization Method 4. Carcinogenicity Test.
1. Replica Plating Technique:
Lederberg and Lederberg (1952) have given replica plating
technique. This technique is used to detect auxotrophic
mutants which differentiates between mutants and wild type
strains on the basis of ability to grow in the absence of an
amino acid.
2. Resistance Selection Method:
It is the other approach for isolation of mutants. Generally the
wild type cells are not resistant either to antibiotics or
bacteriophages. Therefore, it is possible to grow the
bacterium in the presence of the agent (antibiotics or
bacteriophage) and look for survivors.
3. Substrate Utilization Method:
This method is employed in the selection of bacteria. Several
bacteria utilize only a few primary carbon sources. The
cultures are plated onto medium containing an alternate carbon
sources. Any colony that grows on medium can use the substrate
and are possibly mutants. These can be isolated.
4. Carcinogenicity Test:
to identify the environmental carcionogens that cause mutation
and induce cancer in organisms. It’s based on detecting potential
of carcinogens and testing for mutagenicity in bacteria.
• Ames (1973) developed a method for deletion of mutagenicity
of carcinogens which is commonly known as Ames test.
• It is widely used to detect the carcinogens.
• The Ames test is a mutational reversion assay in which
several special strains of Salmonella typhimurium are
employed.
• Each strain contains a different mutation in the
operon of histidine biosynthesis.
• The number of spontaneous reverants is low, whereas the
number of reverants induced by the test mutagen is quite high.
• In order to estimate the relative mutagenicity of the
mutagenic substance the visible colonies are counted and
compared with control.
• The high number of colonies represents the
greater mutagenicity.
• A mammalian liver extract is added to the above molten
top agar before plating.
• The extract converts the carcinogens into electrophilic
derivatives which will soon react with DNA
molecule.
• The liver extract is added to this test, just to promote
the transformation.
• The Ames test has now been used with thousands of
substances and mixtures such as the industrial chemicals,
food additives, pesticides, hair dyes and cosmetics.
RECOMBINATION
Defined as formation of new gene combinations
among those present in different strains.
Recombination is used for both genetic analysis as well
as strain improvement
To generate new products
Recombination may be based on:-
- Transformation
- Conjugation
- others like cross over and transduction
- protoplast fusion – The fusion between non producing
strains of two species ( Streptomyces griseus and
Streptomyces tenjimariensis) has yielded a strain that
produces indolizomycin, a new Indolizine antibiotic.
Protoplast
fusion
RECOMBINATION DNA TECHNOLOGY
rDNA Technology or Genetic Engineering
involves the isolation and cloning of genes of
interest, production of the necessary gene
constructs using appropriate enzymes and then
transfer and expression of these genes into an
suitable host organism.
This technique has been used to achieve 2 broad
objectives:
- Production of Recombinant proteins
- Metabolic Engineering
1. Recombinant proteins:- These are the
proteins produced by the transferred gene /
transgene ; they themselves are of commercial
value.
Ex: Insulin, Interferons etc.. are produced
in Bacteria
2. Metabolic Engineering :- When metabolic
activities of an organism are modified by
introducing into it transgenes, which affect
enzymatic, transport and /or regulatory function of
its cells its known as Metabolic Engineering.
Ex: Over production of the amino acid Isoleucine
in Corynebacterium glutamicum & Ethanol by
Product Modification include the new enzymes which
modifies the product of existing biosynthetic pathway
e.g. Conversion of Cephalosporin C into 7-
amino cephalosporanic acid by D-amino acid
oxidase
(in A. chrysogenum).
Completely new metabolite formation include in
which all the genes of a new pathway are transferred
e.g. E.coli, transfer of 2 genes for
polyhydroxybutyrate synthesis from Alcaligenes
eutrophus.
Enhance growth include enhanced substrate
utilization.
e.g. E.coli , glutamate dehydrogenase into
Novel genetic technologies
Novel genetic
tech.
Metabolic Genome shuffling
engineering
Metabolic engineering-
The existing pathways are modified, or entirely new ones are
introduced through the manipulation of the genes so as to
improve the yields of the microbial product, eliminate or reduce
undesirable side products or shift to the production of an
entirely new product.
It has been used to over-produce the amino acid isoluecine in
Corynebacterium glutamicum, & ethanol by E. coli and has
been employed to introduce the gene for utilizing lactose into
Corynebacterium glutamicum thus making it possible for the
organism to utilize whey which is plentiful and cheap.
Genome Shuffling
It is a novel technique for strain improvement that
allows for recombination between multiple parents at
each generation and several rounds of recursive
genome fusion were carried out resulting in the final
improved strain involving genetic trait from
multiple initial strains.
APPLICATIONS
Large scale Production of vaccines, Enzymes,
Interferon, growth factors, blood clotting factors.
In the field of Microbiology to improve the
microbe’s productivities or characteristics.
Treatment of Genetic diseases like SCID by
rDNA technology
Production of medically useful biological
products like insulin
CONCLUSION
Thesesteps have been taken by firms in order to gap the bridge
between basic knowledge and industrial application.
The task of both discovering new microbial compounds and
improving the synthesis of known ones have become more and
more challenging.
The tremendous increase in fermentation productivity and
resulting decreases in costs have come about mainly by
using mutagenesis. In recent years,recombinant
DNA technology has also been applied.
The promise of the future is via extensive of new genetic
techniques-Metabolic engineering and Genomic shuffling.
The choice of approaches which should be taken will be driven
by the economics of the biotechnological process and the genetic
tools available for the strain of interest.
REFERENCES
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/micro-biology/strain-
improvement
https://www.researchgate.net/.../226497441_Strain_impr
o vement
https://www.jic.ac.uk/.../Marinelli%20Lecture%
202%20pa rt%201.pdf
http://technologyinscience.blogspot.in/2012/08/strain-
improvement-importance-of-pure.html#
http://www.cabri.org/guidelines/micro-
organisms/M300.html
A text book of Molecular Biology, Genetic
Presented to,
Prof.Prasanna
Srinivas Dept. of
Microbiology
R
