Metabolic engineering is a rapidly evolving field that is being applied for the optimization of many different industrial processes. In this issue of Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology, developments in different areas of metabolic engineering are reviewed. The contributions discuss the application of metabolic engineering in the improvement of yield and productivity - illustrated by amino acid production and the production of novel compounds - in the production of polyketides and extension of the substrate range - and in the engineering of S. cerevisiae for xylose metabolism, and the improvement of a complex biotransformation process.

Extensive and up-to-date review of key metabolic processes in bacteria and archaea and how metabolism is regulated under various conditions.

The metabolic regulation of a cell system is of critical importance in systems biology, and a robust model of these mechanisms is essential in predicting the effects on the metabolism of both the culture environment and the knockout of specific genes. Bacterial cellular metabolic systems focuses on this highly topical subject in relation to culture environment and provides a detailed analysis from gene level to metabolic level regulation, as well as offering a discussion of the most recent modelling approaches. The book begins with an introduction to metabolic mechanisms and to the metabolic regulation of a cell, before moving on to discussing the action of global regulators in response to a specific culture environment. The second half of the book examines conventional flux balance analysis and its applications, 13C-metabolic flux analysis, and the effect of a specific gene knockout on the metabolism. - Comprehensive account of metabolic regulation via global regulators in response to changes in the culture environment - Basic formulation of 13C-metabolic flux analysis based on 13C-labelling experiments - Systems biology approach for the modelling and computer simulation of the main metabolic pathways of a cell system

This book presents the current knowledge of fundamental as well as applied microbiology of amino acids. Coverage details the amino acid biosynthetic pathways, their genetic and biochemical regulation, transport of amino acids and genomics of producing microorganisms. The book also examines the metabolic engineering of microorganisms for the biotechnological production of amino acids for use as pharmaceuticals and as food and feed additives.

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.