editorial environmental biotechnology: current advances ...environmental biotechnology: current...

EditorialEnvironmental Biotechnology: Current Advances,New Knowledge Gaps, and Emerging Issues

Abd El-Latif Hesham,1 T. Komang Ralebitso-Senior,2 Yu Zhang,3 and Qing X. Li4

1Genetics Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Assiut 71526, Egypt2School of Science and Engineering, Teesside University, Borough Road, Middlesbrough, Tees Valley TS1 3BA, UK3Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing 100085, China4Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA

Correspondence should be addressed to Abd El-Latif Hesham; hesham [email protected]

Received 19 November 2015; Accepted 19 November 2015

Copyright © 2015 Abd El-Latif Hesham et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionLicense, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properlycited.

The term “environmental biotechnology” encapsulates a wideand dynamic spectrum of topics including bioremediation,biofiltration, wastewater treatment, biodegradation, wastemanagement, and biofuel production. All these disciplinesare underpinned by complex interacting microbial commu-nities; hence exciting research has been undertaken andincreasingly driven by cutting-edge ecogenomic techniques.However, understanding of microbial diversity, population,and structure for sustainable environmental managementremains largely a “black box.” Thus exciting findings identi-fied new knowledge gaps and, inevitably, engendered novelresearch questions with inventive methodologies.

This special issue is focused on original research andreview articles that (i) present a critical and succinct appre-ciation of the environmental biotechnology state of the art,(ii) identify emerging areas of research, (iii) illustrate theapplications of innovative molecular techniques, and (iv)suggest updates of established protocols.

P. Munguia-Fragozo and his colleagues have systemati-cally reviewed the omic technologies for microbial commu-nity analysis. They discuss the potential applications of cur-rent “omics” such as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis,microscopy using fluorescence in situ hybridization, and/orcloning rRNA gene fragments and bioinformatic tools tocharacterize the microbial community of aquaponic systems.Also they mentioned that metatranscriptomics, proteomics,and metabolomics can provide information of functionalanalyses in microbial communities at different levels of

gene expression, protein translation, and, more recently, themetabolite network, respectively. They indicated essentialroles of “omic” approaches such as metagenomics and meta-transcriptomics on future studies of microbial diversity inaquaponic biosystems.

C. Varrone et al. reported their research on the selectionand adaptation of mixed microbial cultures (MMCs), ableto ferment crude glycerol generated from animal fat-basedbiodiesel and produce building-blocks and green chemicals.Various adaptation strategies have been investigated for theenrichment of suitable and stable MMCs, trying to over-come inhibition problems and enhance substrate degradationefficiency, as well as production of soluble fermentationproducts. Repeated transfers in small batches and fed-batchconditions were applied. They demonstrated that next gen-eration sequencing represented a useful tool to monitor thechanges in microbial composition of MMCs, highlightingthe development of a glycerol consuming community (withnumerous strains belonging to the genera Clostridium, Kleb-siella, and Escherichia), thus confirming the effectiveness ofthe enrichment strategy.

L. Kiseleva et al. have focused their work on the isolationand partial characterization of an electrogenic bacteriumThalassospira sp. strain HJ from amagnetic particle-enrichedportion of a marine tidal sediment. They described thefirst report of electrogenic behavior within the genus Tha-lassospira. They recommended that a more extensive studywould be needed to determine whether the proportion of

Hindawi Publishing CorporationBioMed Research InternationalVolume 2015, Article ID 814529, 2 pageshttp://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/814529

2 BioMed Research International

electrogenic bacteria obtained from this magnetic particleenrichment procedure exceeds that found in the environ-ment. With their diurnal patterns of flooding and diversityof mineral components, tidal sediments should be richenvironments to bioprospect for electrogenic bacteria.

Development of an in situ microfluidic biosensor forthe detection of phenol, based on laccase from Trametespubescens with flow-injection and amperometry as the trans-ducer method, is reported by J. C. Gonzalez-Rivera and J.F. Osma in their study of “Fabrication of an AmperometricFlow-Injection Microfluidic Biosensor Based on Laccasefor In Situ Determination of Phenolic Compounds.” Themicrofluidic biosensor showed better analytic characteristicsthan previous biosensors, such as the lower limit of detectionand increased sensitivity.Moreover, the optimumoperationalconditions of temperature, pH, injection flow rate, and redoxpotential were established. Thus the microfluidic device canbe applied directly to in situ operation while its fabricationprocedure can be introduced for industrial applications.

Lead biosorption by Klebsiella sp. 3S1 isolated from awastewater treatment plant was investigated by A. J. Munozet al. through a Rotatable Central Composite ExperimentalDesign. According to their results, the biosorption pathwaycan be described by a two-step process, one rapid, almostinstantaneous, and another slower, both contributing sig-nificantly to the overall biosorption. The model that fitsthe experimental results best was pseudo-second order. Themechanism study revealed that lead ions were bioaccumu-lated into the cytoplasm and adsorbed on the cell surface.Also, the bacterium Klebsiella sp. 3S1 had a good potential inthe bioremoval of lead in an inexpensive and effective process.

The objective of a study done by M. E. Silva etal. was to assess antagonism of metabolites produced bynematophagous fungi and their effectiveness onHaemonchuscontortus infective larvae (L3). Their findings showed theexistence of fungal antagonism on the production of repro-ductive structures between species with potential use forcontrol of gastrointestinal nematodes of domestic ani-mals. The authors recommended that biotic application ofnematophagous fungi, specifically for environmental controlof gastrointestinal nematodes, must be investigated thor-oughly in order to evaluate success of the parasite con-trol program before implementation in situ. Another studyreported by M. E. da Silva et al. aimed at evaluating thepredatory activity of Duddingtonia flagrans and Clonostachysrosea and their combined impacts on infective larvae (L3)of H. contortus in grass microplots that were maintainedin a protected environment. Since the efficiency was 74.5%,it was suggested that the tested association (Clonostachys +Duddingtonia) could be explored further in future studiesof biological control. According to the researchers, this wasthe first report of C. rosea and D. flagrans association for thecontrol of H. contortus in environmental conditions.

The risks of contracting staphylococci food poisoningfrom the consumption of improperly manufactured salamiand the possibility of these food matrices being reservoirsfor antibiotic resistance were evaluated by R. S. C. Nunes etal. Nineteen distinct coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS)strains were found in commercial and artisanal salami. The

CNS strains were identified by sequencing of a 16S rDNAregion and the phylogenic relationships between the enrichedspecies were established. The presence of multiple genesencoding the classical and newly described se/sel and tstH1toxins in the CNS genomes was investigated.The risk of foodpoisoning was then assessed by evaluating the ability of theCNS strains in transcribing and expressing the classical andnewly described enterotoxins in vitro by using real-time PCRand enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The resistanceof the isolated strains to antimicrobial agents of therapeuticimportance in staphylococci infections was also evaluated.

Finally, J. H. Kwon et al. described the optimization ofplanetary mill pretreatment and saccharification processesfor improving biosugar production from Pinus rigida woodwaste. They demonstrated that milling can be used to obtainhigh levels of glucose bioconversion from woody biomass forbiorefinery purposes.

All of these papers show how biotechnology and molec-ular tools can have a significant benefit in a wide rangeof environmental biotechnology research. It is hoped thatreaders will relate to the highlighted knowledge gaps anduse these to identify new or related ones. All these should,inevitably, engender novel research questions to be addressedsubsequently with inventive methodologies.

Acknowledgments

The editors would like to thank the authors who submittedtheir research articles and to acknowledge all reviewers fortheir contribution to this special issue.The Lead Guest Editorthanks all Guest Editors for spending their precious time inhandling the papers.

Abd El-Latif HeshamT. Komang Ralebitso-Senior

Yu ZhangQing X. Li

Submit your manuscripts athttp://www.hindawi.com

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume 2014

Anatomy Research International

PeptidesInternational Journal of


Hindawi Publishing Corporation http://www.hindawi.com

International Journal of

Volume 2014

Zoology


Molecular Biology International

GenomicsInternational Journal of


The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation http://www.hindawi.com Volume 2014


BioinformaticsAdvances in

Marine BiologyJournal of



Signal TransductionJournal of


BioMed Research International

Evolutionary BiologyInternational Journal of



Biochemistry Research International

ArchaeaHindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com Volume 2014


Genetics Research International


Advances in

Virolog y

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttp://www.hindawi.com

Nucleic AcidsJournal of

Volume 2014

Stem CellsInternational



Enzyme Research


International Journal of

Microbiology

editorial environmental biotechnology: current advances ...environmental biotechnology: current...

Documents