Life Sciences Commons^™

Identification And Characterization Of A Novel Thermohalophilic Esterase From The Red Sea: Atlantis Ii Brine Pool, Yasmine Mustafa Mohamed

Theses and Dissertations

Industrial (white) biotechnology poses an increasing demand for novel biocatalysts that are robust under a wide range of conditions. Traditionally, biocatalysts were isolated from cultured isolates, however, less than 1% of microorganisms are culturable. Therefore, it became evident that the unculturable majority holds a great potential for the discovery of novel biocatalysts. Metagenomics is an invaluable tool for accessing the genomes of the uncultured majority and has led to the isolation of a large number of biocatalysts from various environments. Extreme environments such as hydrothermal vents, brine pools and glaciers, are an attractive source for biocatalysts. Biocatalysts from these environments …