Se brought on by planktonic bacteria (Smith and Hunter, 2008). Nonetheless, the increased robustness of biofilms is usually exploited in bioprocesses where cells are exposed to harsh reaction conditions (Winn et al., 2012). Biofilms, commonly multispecies, happen to be made use of for waste water remedy (biofilters) (Purswani et al., 2011; Iwamoto and Nasu, 2001; Correspondence: [email protected] 1 School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK Full list of author details is readily available in the end with the articleCortesLorenzo et al., 2012), air filters (Rene et al., 2009) and in soil bioremediation (Zhang et al., 1995; Singh and Cameotra, 2004). Most lately, single species biofilms have located applications in microbial fuel cells (Yuan et al., 2011a; Yuan et al., 2011b) and for specific biocatalytic reactions (Tsoligkas et al., 2011; Gross et al., 2010; Kunduru and Pometto, 1996). Current examples of biotransformations catalysed by singlespecies biofilms contain the conversion of benzaldehyde to benzyl alcohol (Zymomonas mobilis; Li et al., 2006), ethanol production (Z. mobilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Kunduru and Pometto, 1996), production of (S)styrene oxide (Pseudomonas sp.; Halan et al., 2011; Halan et al., 2010) and dihydroxyacetone production (Gluconobacter oxydans; Hekmat et al., 2007; Hu et al., 2011).2013 Perni et al.; licensee Springer. This really is an Open Access write-up distributed under the terms of your Inventive Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, supplied the original work is properly cited.Perni et al. AMB Express 2013, 3:66 http://www.ambexpress.com/content/3/1/Page 2 ofWhen when compared with biotransformation reactions catalysed by purified enzymes, entire cell biocatalysis permits protection from the enzyme within the cell and also production of new enzyme molecules.Salcaprozate (sodium) manufacturer Moreover, it does not demand the extraction, purification and immobilisation involved within the use of enzymes, normally making it a much more costeffective method, particularly upon scaleup (Winn et al.857026-04-1 web , 2012). Biofilmmediated reactions extend these added benefits by increasing protection of enzymes against harsh reaction conditions (such as extremes of pH or organic solvents) and providing simplified downstream processing since the bacteria are immobilised and usually do not demand separating from reaction goods.PMID:23937941 These components typically result in larger conversions when biotransformations are carried out using biofilms when when compared with purified enzymes (Winn et al., 2012; Halan et al., 2012; Gross et al., 2012). To produce a biofilm biocatalyst, bacteria has to be deposited on a substrate, either by all-natural or artificial indicates, then permitted to mature into a biofilm. Deposition and maturation identify the structure of your biofilm and therefore the mass transfer of chemical species by way of the biofilm extracellular matrix, as a result defining its general functionality as a biocatalyst (Tsoligkas et al., 2011; 2012). We’ve lately created approaches to create engineered biofilms, utilising centrifugation of recombinant E. coli onto polyLlysine coated glass supports instead of waiting for all-natural attachment to take place (Tsoligkas et al., 2011; 2012). These biofilms had been utilized to catalyse the biotransformation of 5haloindole plus serine to 5halotryptophan (Figure 1a), a vital class of pharmaceutical intermediates; this reaction is catalysed by a recombina.