Haloferax volcanii for biotechnology applications: challenges, current state and perspectives

Haque, R. U.; Paradisi, F.; Allers, T.

Abstract

© 2019, The Author(s). Haloferax volcanii is an obligate halophilic archaeon with its origin in the Dead Sea. Simple laboratory culture conditions and a wide range of genetic tools have made it a model organism for studying haloarchaeal cell biology. Halophilic enzymes of potential interest to biotechnology have opened up the application of this organism in biocatalysis, bioremediation, nanobiotechnology, bioplastics and the biofuel industry. Functionally active halophilic proteins can be easily expressed in a halophilic environment, and an extensive genetic toolkit with options for regulated protein overexpression has allowed the purification of biotechnologically important enzymes from different halophiles in H. volcanii. However, corrosion mediated damage caused to stainless-steel bioreactors by high salt concentrations and a tendency to form biofilms when cultured in high volume are some of the challenges of applying H. volcanii in biotechnology. The ability to employ expressed active proteins in immobilized cells within a porous biocompatible matrix offers new avenues for exploiting H. volcanii in biotechnology. This review critically evaluates the various application potentials, challenges and toolkits available for using this extreme halophilic organism in biotechnology.

Citation

Haque, R. U., Paradisi, F., & Allers, T. (2019). Haloferax volcanii for biotechnology applications: challenges, current state and perspectives. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-019-10314-2

• Journal Article Type: Review
• Acceptance Date: Dec 10, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Dec 20, 2019
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jan 8, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 8, 2020
• Journal: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
• Print ISSN: 0175-7598
• Electronic ISSN: 1432-0614
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 1-12
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-019-10314-2
• Keywords: Biotechnology; Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology; General Medicine
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3611408
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00253-019-10314-2