The genus Gluconobacter and its applications in biotechnology

Organisms of the genus Gluconobacter have been widely utilized within the b iotechnology industry for many decades, due to their unique metabolic chara cteristics. The metabolic features that render Gluconobacter so useful in b iotransformation processes, vitamin synthesis, and, as the biological eleme nt in sensor systems, are critically evaluated, and the relevance of recent biochemical genetic studies to current and future industrial Gluconobacter processes is discussed. The impact of recombinant gene technology on the s tatus of Gluconobacter processes and the potential use of such techniques i n clarifying aspects of the physiology of Gluconobacter is reviewed.