Corynebacterium glutamicum is a very important fermentative bacterium most widely known for its role in the production of monosodium glutamate, or MSG. Discovered in 1957 in Japan as a natural producer of glutamic acid, C. glutamicum is a Gram positive, facultative anaerobic, heterotrophic bacterium with an irregular rod shape in a V-formation. It is non-pathogenic and is found in soil, animal feces, fruits and vegetables. Though it was originally isolated for its ability to produce massive amounts of glutamic acid, C. glutamicum and closely related organisms have been developed for the production of most of the biogene amino acids, nucleotides, and vitamins. Because of this ability it has undergone extensive genetic study to understand its production pathways.