Cost-effective synthesis of chiral chemicals using data-mined enzymes.- Metabolic regulation of bacterial cells.- Cell factories for microbial diols.- Construction of Escherichia coli cell factories for production of bulk chemicals.- Microbial Cell Factories for Production of Long Chain Alcohols.- Yeast cell factories based on surface engineering.- Cell factories of higher fungi for useful metabolite production.- Role of Microbial Communities in Petroleum Reservoirs.