Bioeconomy Science Center (BioSC) 2 articles published in JoVE Bioengineering Generic Protocol for Optimization of Heterologous Protein Production Using Automated Microbioreactor Technology Johannes Hemmerich*1,2, Lars Freier*1,2, Wolfgang Wiechert1,2,3, Eric von Lieres1,2, Marco Oldiges1,2,4 1IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 2Research Center Jülich, Bioeconomy Science Center (BioSC), 3Computational Systems Biotechnology (AVT.CSB), RWTH Aachen University, 4Institute for Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University This manuscript describes a generic approach for tailor-made design of microbial cultivation media. This is enabled by an iterative workflow combining Kriging-based experimental design and microbioreactor technology for sufficient cultivation throughput, which is supported by lab robotics to increase reliability and speed in liquid handling media preparation. Genetics Genetic Manipulation of the Plant Pathogen Ustilago maydis to Study Fungal Biology and Plant Microbe Interactions Kristin Bösch*1,2, Lamprinos Frantzeskakis*1, Miroslav Vraneš3, Jörg Kämper3, Kerstin Schipper1,2, Vera Göhre1,2,4 1Institute for Microbiology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 2Bioeconomy Science Center (BioSC), 3Department of Genetics, Institute of Applied Biosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 4Cluster of Excellence in Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf We describe a robust gene replacement strategy to genetically manipulate the smut fungus Ustilago maydis. This protocol explains how to generate deletion mutants to investigate infection phenotypes. It can be extended to modify genes in any desired way, e.g., by adding a sequence encoding a fluorescent protein tag.