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Implementation of a rapid microbial screening procedure for biotransformation activities
S Stahl1, R Greasham, M Chartrain
1Department of Bioprocess R&D, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, NJ, USA.
Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering
|October 20, 2005
Summary
A new microbial screening method using 24-well plates and automation significantly speeds up bioconversion discovery. This efficient process identified 78% of tested strains capable of bioreducing tetralone to the desired alcohol.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Microbial screening
- Biocatalysis
Background:
- Traditional microbial screening methods are often time-consuming and labor-intensive.
- Miniaturization and automation are key to improving the efficiency of bioprocess development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a rapid, efficient, and miniaturized microbial screening procedure.
- To optimize the identification of microbial strains with desirable bioconversion activity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a 24-well plate format combined with an automated liquid handling system and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
- Screened pre-selected yeast and rhodococci libraries for the bioreduction of 6-bromo-beta-tetralone to 6-bromo-beta-tetralol.
- Cultivated microbes in a miniaturized plate format for time-saving and efficient processing.
Main Results:
- The automated screening procedure was successfully applied to 192 yeast strains and 48 rhodococci strains.
- Demonstrated high efficiency, with 78% of the screened strains exhibiting the desired bioconversion activity.
- The miniaturized and automated method proved advantageous compared to classical screening approaches.
Conclusions:
- The developed 24-well plate-based automated screening system offers a rapid and efficient method for identifying microbial bioconversion capabilities.
- This approach significantly enhances the discovery of valuable biocatalysts for biotransformation processes.
- The high hit rate validates the effectiveness of using pre-selected microbial libraries and automated analysis.