Uncovering new features of bacterial control elements

The Science
Our society relies on a wide variety of chemicals with many uses and properties. Many chemicals and fuels that are currently made from oil could instead be made from plant material by microorganisms. The most promising microbes for this purpose have broad appetites and biosynthetic potential but their genetics have not been widely studied in research labs. In three recent studies, scientists report crucial information on how to control genes in unique and promising biosynthetic microbes—Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Zymomonas mobilis, and Novosphingobium aromaticivorans.