/ books / iu / aemb

Transgenic Microalgae as Green
Cell Factories


Email this Print this

Rosa León
Deparamento de Química y Ciencia de Materiales, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Huelva,

Aurora Gaván
Universidad de Córdoba

Emilio Fernández
Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Córdoba


ISBN: 978-0-387-75531-1
Pub date: 2007-11-06
148 pages
27 figures
10 tables
2 color pages


About this book

Microalgae have been largely cultured and commercialized as food and feed additives, and their potential as source of high-added value compounds is well known. In contrast, however, to the large number of genetically modified bacteria, yeast and even higher plants, only a few species of microalgae have been genetically transformed with efficiency. Initial difficulties with the expression of foreign genes in microalgae have been progressively overcome, and powerful molecular tools for their genetic engineering are now on hand. A considerable collection of promoters and selectable marker genes and an increasing number of genomic or cDNA sequences have become available in recent years. More work is needed to transform new species of microalgae, especially those that have commercial value, so that it would be possible to increase the productivity of traditional compounds or synthesize novel ones. Silencing transgenes remains an important limitation for stable expression of foreign genes. This problem is not unique to microalgae since it has also been observed in plants, animals and fungi. A better understanding of the mechanisms that control the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes is therefore needed. In this book an outstanding group of researchers working in different areas of microalgae biotechnology offer a global vision of the genetic manipulation of microalgae and their applications. These scientists provide an understanding of the antecedent events in current microalgae research, as well as the pitfalls of the field. It is the intent of Transgenic Microalgae as Green Cell Factories to prove useful for algologists, biotechnologists, and researchers interested in the potential applications of green cell factories.

Table of contents

1. Nuclear Transformation of Eukaryotic Microalgae: Historical Overview,
Achievements and Problems
Rosa León and Emilio Fernández

2. Transformation of Cyanobacteria
Agustín Vioque

3. Molecular Biology and the Biotechnological Potential of Diatoms
Peter Kroth

4. Tools and Techniques for Chloroplast Transformation of Chlamydomonas
Saul Purton

5. Influence of Codon Bias on the Expression of Foreign Genes in Microalgae
Markus Heitzer, Almut Eckert, Markus Fuhrmann and Christoph Griesbeck

6. In the Grip of Algal Genomics
Arthur R. Grossman

7. Insertional Mutagenesis as a Tool to Study Genes/Functions
in Chlamydomonas
Aurora Galván, David González-Ballester and Emilio Fernández

8. Optimization of Recombinant Protein Expression in the Chloroplasts
of Green Algae
Samuel P. Fletcher, Machiko Muto and Stephen P. Mayfield

9. Phycoremediation of Heavy Metals Using Transgenic Microalgae
Sathish Rajamani, Surasak Siripornadulsil, Vanessa Falcao, Moacir Torres,
Pio Colepicolo and Richard Sayre

10. Hydrogen Fuel Production by Transgenic Microalgae
Anastasios Melis, Michael Seibert and Maria L. Ghirardi

11. Microalgal Vaccines
Surasak Siripornadulsil, Konrad Dabrowski and Richard Sayre