Genome Editing Tools

Abstract

The use of agrochemicals has become a norm in the present-day intensive agricultural production system. These chemicals, including fertilizers and pesticides, have helped to increase crop production by providing the necessary nutrients required by the plant and also limiting the impact of crop damage caused by pests and diseases. Unfortunately, the indiscriminate use of agrochemicals has affected human health and polluted our environment. The use of microorganisms to remediate contaminated sites has long been in use due to their versatile metabolic activity and capacity to grow in a wide range of environmental conditions. This process referred to as bioremediation has been a focus of much research interest due to its safe use, sustainability, and environment-friendliness. However, the increasing complex nature of agrochemicals necessitates the use of microbes with more versatile and efficient metabolic pathways. The recent advent of genome editing techniques has opened new avenues for increasing the efficiency of microbes to remediate contaminated sites. Genome editing allows manipulation of the natural enzymatic pathways in the microbial strains to enhance their survival and functional abilities in harsh environments. It is an important tool to incorporate novel metabolic capabilities into natural microbial isolates and to biochemically and genetically modulate biodegradative pathways. In this chapter, we highlight the available techniques for genome editing of potential bacterial strains and their applications in environmental microbiology with special reference to a few of the important microbial genera and species.