Gene expression in bacteria of environmental interest

Under the strong selective pressure soil bacteria have due to competition for limited nutrients, they have developed the ability to grow using a wide range of unusual substrates, which include numerous organic pollutants. Our group characterizes the biodegradation of organic contaminants and the regulation of genes involved, a research line of great interest due to the increase of these contaminants in the environment over the past years due to industrial activity and the challenge posed by the new waste generated through chemical synthesis. It was noted that bacterial biodegradation may be limited by strong regulation of genes for degradation, making the biodegradaton pathways inactive in most environmental conditions.