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Dr. Stefan Lutz (Chemistry,
Emory) developed CHEM 346, which is a biomolecular laboratory course.
It centers on the discovery of novel biocatalysts from complex mixtures
of metagenomic DNA in soil samples. An incredibly rich diversity
of life can be found in regular dirt. Millions of microorganisms
exist in each cubic inch, perfectly adapted to their local environments.
One successful method to harvest the genetic diversity from these
"uncultivable" bacteria and fungi is to break open all
cells in a given soil sample and isolate the resulting mixture of
DNA from all inhabitants, so called metagenomic DNA. Following the
breakdown of the metagenomic DNA into fragments, the pieces are
transferred into laboratory strains of bacteria and combinatorial
screening and selection techniques are employed to identify colonies
expressing proteins. The pilot run of the course was a success and
it has been approved for regular offerings each year.
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