Screening of Microbes

For example, a screening of 416 strains (71 bacterial strains, 45 actinomycetes, 59 yeast, 60 basidiomycetes, 33 marine fungi, and 148 filamentous fungi) has been performed to look for microorganisms that display reductase activity in the absence of oxidase activity [8b]. A new microorganism, Diplogdasinospora grovesii IMI 

This study provides a useful reference for generating chiral alcohols by selective microbial bioconversion. 

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Lucas M, Mertens V, Corbisier A-M, Vanhulle S (2008) Synthetic dyes decolourisation by white-rot fungi development of original microtitre plate method and screening. Enzyme Microb Technol 42 97-106... 

Screening of microbial products has led to the discovery of a number of growth-inhibiting compounds that have proved to be clinically useful in cancer chemotherapy. Many of these antibiotics bind to DNA through intercalation between specific bases and block the synthesis of RNA, DNA, or both cause DNA strand scission and interfere with cell replication. All of the anticancer antibiotics now being used in clinical practice are products of various strains of the soil microbe Streptomyces. These include the anthracyclines, bleomycin, and mitomycin. 

On the synthetic route to a novel class of orally active 2,3-benzodiazepines, scientists at Lilly have described a yeast reduction using Zygosaccharomyces rouxii (ATCC 14462) (Scheme 19.5).76-78 This intermediate is used in the synthesis of a novel class of benzodiazepines such as LY-300164 (1). The choice of this yeast strain came from a screen of numerous microbes. The product was isolated in >95% yield and >99.9% ee by use of an adsorbant polymeric resin.76-78... 

Many new microbial compounds with potential blocherbicldal activity have been Isolated, chemically characterized, and a portion of their biological activities determined using various bioassay techniques or by direct plant screening. Some of these compounds are virulence factors of plant pathogens, thus Information on these phytotoxins can benefit the development of microbes as herbicides and potentially provide new chemical herbicides. Data on some of these compounds and their structures are presented. Information on source, biological activity, and possible mode of action (when available) Is briefly summarized. 

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