Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026

08:10
Multi-enzyme Screening Using a High-throughput Genetic Enzyme Screening System
Published on: August 8, 2016
Approaches for novel enzyme discovery from marine environments
Hyun Sook Lee1, Kae Kyoung Kwon, Sung Gyun Kang
1Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute, Ansan, PO Box 29, Seoul 425-600, South Korea.
Current Opinion in Biotechnology
|March 2, 2010
Summary
Marine microbes offer a rich source of novel enzymes for biotechnology. Advances in culturing and genomic methods unlock this potential for sustainable applications.
Area of Science:
- Marine microbiology
- Biotechnology
- Enzyme discovery
Background:
- Marine ecosystems harbor vast, largely untapped biodiversity.
- Recalcitrant marine microbes present cultivation challenges.
- Sustainable resource management benefits from microbial discoveries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review successful marine microbial culturing techniques.
- To highlight the biotechnological potential of marine microbial resources.
- To explore genomic strategies for enzyme discovery.
Main Methods:
- Review of successful marine microbial culturing examples.
- Genomic strategies including activity-based functional screening of libraries.
- Homology-driven screening of large sequence datasets.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated success in culturing previously recalcitrant marine microbes.
- Identified numerous enzymes with potential biotechnological applications.
- Genomic approaches effectively mine marine biodiversity for novel enzymes.
Conclusions:
- Marine microbial biodiversity is a key resource for enzyme discovery.
- Advanced culturing and genomic techniques are crucial for accessing this potential.
- This approach supports sustainable development in biotechnology.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Marine Microbial Ecology
Marine microbial ecosystems are shaped by distinct physicochemical limits, including high salinity, low nutrient availability, and fluctuating oxygen levels. These conditions favor smaller microbial cell sizes, which maximize their surface-to-volume ratio for efficient nutrient uptake.Microbial activity and community composition are closely linked to biogeochemical cycles, particularly in dynamic environments like estuaries, where halotolerant microbes thrive in response to variable salinity...
Deep Sea Microbial Ecology
The deep ocean and its underlying sediments represent vast, largely unexplored microbial habitats that extend far beyond the sunlit photic zone. The photic (euphotic) zone typically spans the upper ~100–200 meters of pelagic waters in the open ocean, but its depth varies geographically and seasonally, where sufficient light supports photosynthetic life. Below this lies the deep sea, spanning roughly 1000–6000 meters (bathypelagic to abyssal zones), with deeper hadal trenches extending beyond...
Microbial Bioremediation of Hydrocarbons
Bioremediation is an environmentally sustainable process that employs living organisms—primarily microorganisms—to degrade or neutralize pollutants from contaminated environments. In oil spills and hydrocarbon pollution, bioremediation involves the use of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria to transform toxic compounds into less harmful substances. This approach leverages natural microbial metabolic processes and is considered both cost-effective and ecologically favorable compared to physical or...
Overview of Archaea
Archaea, named after the Archaean eon, represent a unique domain of life, distinct from bacteria and eukaryotes, with remarkable traits. Their cellular and molecular features, ecological adaptability, and industrial relevance highlight their importance in understanding life processes and leveraging biotechnology.Cellular and Molecular CharacteristicsA defining feature of archaea is their unique membrane composition. Archaeal membranes contain ether-linked isoprenoid lipids, which confer...
iChip
The cultivation of environmental microorganisms has long been hindered by the inability to replicate complex native conditions in vitro. The isolation chip (iChip) addresses this limitation by facilitating the growth of previously uncultivable microorganisms through in situ incubation. Designed for high-throughput microbial cultivation, the iChip comprises hundreds of microchambers, each capable of housing a single microbial cell. These microchambers are loaded with a mixture of molten agar and...
Bioreactor Controls-III
Strain improvement is a foundational strategy in industrial microbiology aimed at maximizing microbial productivity, particularly because natural isolates typically yield commercially valuable products in very low concentrations. Although optimizing the culture medium and environmental conditions can improve yields, these adjustments are inherently limited by the organism’s genetic potential. As a result, the focus shifts toward genetic modifications to enhance biosynthetic capacity. The...

