Fundamentals and Industrial Applications of Modern Genetic Engineering

Biotechnological innovations have become crucial for the growth of three major industrial sectors of economy: fuel, pharmaceuticals and food. Genetic engineering utilizes various molecular biological techniques for the modification of genetic material and synthetic genomics, where whole chromosomes and genomes are chemically synthesized to replace their natural counterparts. Breakthrough in genetic engineering such as chimera construction using polymerase chain rection (PCR) technologies, DNA shuffling and protein engineering has led to the generation of novel enzymes that are used as catalysts with improved thermal and pH stability. DNA microarrays have emerged as indispensable tools for researchers to monitor gene expression during fermentation cycle and mutation analysis. RNA-mediated genetic interference (RNAi) is a reverse genetic approach that has potential applications in the gene suppression strategies used in the pharmaceutical industry. This chapter focuses the advances in genetic engineering technologies and their impact on day-to-day human life such as pharmaceuticals, food, agriculture and bioenergy.