Advances in the Development of Genetic Tools for the Genus Rhodococcus

Abstract

Rhodococci are robust biocatalysts and they show diverse capabilities with regard to the degradation of xenobiotic compounds including recalcitrant organic compounds such as heterocyclic aromatic compounds and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Furthermore, these microbes exhibit a broad range of enzymes that can produce valuable chemicals such as intermediates that have a medical importance. These distinct characteristics have encouraged researchers to use rhodococci for industrial, environmental, and pharmaceutical applications. Genome projects of several Rhodococcus species have revealed the presence of large plasmids that encode genes related to their specific abilities. Recent advances in the development of genetic tools along with the rapid progress in genome annotations will pave the way for the efficient cell engineering of rhodococci. Particularly, a variety of expression vectors and transposon mutagenesis systems will act as important tools, and the methods for gene expression analysis will become powerful tools for the discovery of desirable genes in cell engineering.