Corynebacteria are a diverse group Gram-positive bacteria found in a range of different ecological niches such as soil, vegetables, sewage, skin, and cheese smear. Some, such as Corynebacterium diphtheriae, are important pathogens while others, such as Corynebacterium glutamicum, are of immense industrial importance. In fact C. glutamicum is one of the biotechnologically most important bacterial species in use today with an annual production of more than two million tons of amino acids, mainly L-glutamate and L-lysine. Due to its industrial importance, C. glutamicum has been studied extensively over the years, and the publication of the C. glutamicum genome sequence in 2003 provided renewed impetus to these studies. To date, the complete genome sequences of four different species have been published, and sequencing of at least two more species is ongoing. These genomic data have enabled a dramatic improvement in our understanding of the corynebacterial genome architecture, metabolic processes, species-specific traits, industrial capabilities, and potential roles in pathogenicity of humans and animals. In addition these genome sequences, allied with newly developed genetic tools will consolidate C. glutamicum as a model organism for systems biology. Research in this area has never been more exciting.

Further reading: Corynebacteria: Genomics and Molecular Biology