Volume 4 Number 1 2010

CONTENTS AND ABSTRACTS

Maria Gavrilescu (Romania) Environmental Biotechnology: Achievements, Opportunities and Challenges (pp 1-36)

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ABSTRACT

Invited Review: This paper describes the state-of-the-art and possibilities of environmental biotechnology and reviews its various areas together with their related issues and implications. Considering the number of problems that define and concretize the field of environmental biotechnology, the role of some bioprocesses and biosystems for environmental protection, control and health based on the utilization of living organisms are analyzed. Environmental remediation, pollution prevention, detection and monitoring are evaluated considering the achievements, as well as the perspectives in the development of biotechnology. Various relevant topics have been chosen to illustrate each of the main areas of environmental biotechnology: wastewater treatment, soil treatment, solid waste treatment, and waste gas treatment, dealing with both the microbiological and process engineering aspects. The distinct role of environmental biotechnology in the future is emphasized considering the opportunities to contribute with new solutions and directions in remediation of contaminated environments, minimizing future waste release and creating pollution prevention alternatives. To take advantage of these opportunities, innovative new strategies, which advance the use of molecular biological methods and genetic engineering technology, are examined. These methods would improve the understanding of existing biological processes in order to increase their efficiency, productivity, and flexibility. Examples of the development and implementation of such strategies are included. Also, the contribution of environmental biotechnology to the progress of a more sustainable society is revealed.

Buddolla Viswanath, Taurai Mutanda, Sarah White, Faizal Bux (South Africa) The Microalgae – A Future Source of Biodiesel (pp 37-47)

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ABSTRACT

Invited Review: High energy prices, rising energy imports, concerns about petroleum supplies and greater recognition of the environmental consequences of fossil fuels have driven interest in renewable transportation biofuels. To assuage the depleting fossil reserves, environmental concerns and the rising cost of fuels in the world market, there is a spurring demand to look for sustainable, greener fuels that are economically competitive with substantial environmental benefits. At this juncture, the positive attributes of biodiesel makes it a viable alternative to the conventional, petrodiesel. As the emphasis switched to production of natural oils for biodiesel, microalgae became the exclusive focus of the research. There is a need to develop and deploy microalgae technology as it provides an exciting option for the recycling of fossil fuel emissions. Algal biodiesel opens up a promising avenue for producing several “quads” of biodiesel because microalgae generally produce more of the right kind of high density natural oils needed for the production of biodiesel. Though, a nascent field today, microalgae seem to present the only bio-solution to replace fossil fuels completely. This paper reviews the production processes of biodiesel from microalgae, procedures involved in the microalgal propagation, harvesting and extraction of oil, microalgal strain improvement and importance of manipulation of microalgal lipid composition via metabolic engineering.

Kianoosh Keyhanian (Iran), G. Ali Mansoori (USA), Mehdi Rahimpour (Iran/Spain) Prospects for Cancer Nanotechnology Treatment by Azurin (pp 48-66)

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ABSTRACT

Invited Review: Bacterial redox protein azurin (azurin for short, or Az) belongs to a class of copper-containing proteins known as cupredoxins. We report here our detailed studies and findings on prospects for application of Az for treatment of cancer through various approaches of nanotechnology. We first present the structure and characteristics of Az protein molecule, its electronic properties and its electron transfer capabilities. The details of how Az induces apoptosis including the mechanisms of its entry into mammalian cells and its cytotoxicity are also presented. Past studies on Az for controlling cancer cell treatment are enumerated. They include melanoma cell treatment; breast, bone and prostate cancer cells treatment; and malignant brain tumor and leukemia cells treatment. Then other applications of Az in nanomedicine and in molecular detection are presented. They include: i) the uses Az-specific antibody to detect Pseudomonas bacteria in a patient's blood; ii) application of anti-oxidative properties of laz (an Az paralogue) in different biomedical situations that involves oxidative stress; iii) nanoscale liposomal formulation of Az to target tumor-associated macrophages and immune system cells; iv-nanotechnology approaches to use Az as inhibitor of parasitic growth. The prospects of facilitating anticancer function of Az in conjunction with various nanoentities including gold nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, dendrimers, folic acid and carbon nanotube are presented in detail. We conclude there are a number of outstanding challenges to be met in using Az for nanotechnology treatment of cancer.

Neeti Sanan-Mishra, Sumona Karjee, Sunil K. Mukherjee (India) Design and Delivery of Small RNAs for RNAi Technology (pp 67-87)

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ABSTRACT

Review: The vast efforts of biologists from diverse fields have contributed a wealth of information on the various aspects of small RNA-guided gene silencing mechanisms. The studies quickly begot the RNAi technology as a powerful tool to modulate gene expression in animals and plants. This has been used for affecting specific parts of complex and interactive biological pathways across species to understand gene functions as well as develop strategies for therapeutic applications and crop improvements. In this article, we mainly review the importance of design and delivery of small RNAs in the silencing technology with a focus on the principles and improvements in the field. A section briefly describing the applications of RNAi in medicine, veterinary science and agriculture follows the main section.