Biochemical and Physiological Adaptation of Microbes

Microbes have developed molecular mechanisms, morphological and anatomical features allowing them to survive in a wide range of habitats. Biochemical and physiological evolution in response to environmental conditions gave rise to an incredible diversity of adaptive solutions. This diversity is now used by synthetic biologists to provide biological solutions to our needs for alternative and renewable source of energy and food, for processing and recycling compounds present in limited quantities, and, for developing pollutant detection systems, new diagnostic tools or new treatments for diseases. This course covers a series of topics including a comparison of catabolism in aerobic and anaerobic microbes, the contribution of microbes in the recycling of nutrients within an ecosystem, the role and organization of bacterial communities, and the potential of engineering microbes for therapeutic and environmental purposes.