Genetically Modified Microorganisms (GMOs) for Bioremediation

Abstract

The increasing amount of pollutants in the environment is an alarming concern to the ecosystem. A number of organic pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and pesticides, are resistant to degradation, which represent toxological threat to wildlife as well as human beings. Various physiological and biological measures have been employed globally to degrade these hydrocarbons to improve environment quality. Out of these, bioremediation is the most promising strategy where microorganisms are harnessed to degrade the organic and inorganic pollutants. There are many naturally existing microbes, which are routinely employed in bioremediation process. At instances, these consortia of microorganisms in various environmental conditions provide an insight about the interrelation of metabolic pathways involved in biodegradation process. Various metabolic techniques are employed to produce genetically engineered microorganisms (GEMs) with better bioremediation efficiency. Majorly biomolecular engineering approaches such as rational designing and directed evolution have been developed to genetically modify microorganisms and their enzymes for the degradation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like PAHs, PCBs, and pesticides. Recently, several developments in the field of recombinant DNA technologies such as development of “suicidal-GEMs” (S-GEMs) have also been carried out to achieve safe and efficient bioremediation of contaminated sites. In this chapter, we describe various techniques for the development of genetically modified microorganisms along with different examples of recombinant produced. Harmful impact of the engineered microorganisms on environment and economic consideration of viable processes development are critically discussed.