Environmental GenomicsOpening a New Window into Microbial Diversity and Function |
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To use microbial capabilities, scientists must first learn how microbes operate. This understanding, however, has been limited by an inability to grow the vast majority of these organisms in the laboratory. In a new turn, GTL and investigators in other programs are applying the tools of genomics to investigate entire microbial communities in their natural environments. These environmental genomics studies isolate and analyze genome fragments directly from the environment--be it a liter of water from the open sea or a scraping from a slick film at the bottom of a highly contaminated mine. Early analyses have revealed a broad spectrum of genomes, genes, and thus previously undiscovered functions present in these regions. Eventually, these studies will result in a multitude of new insights into the dynamics between these critical ecosystem players and their environments. Sargasso Sea Environment
Recent environmental genomic investigations near Bermuda in the Sargasso Sea led to the discovery of some 150 completely new types of bacteria and more than one million new genes (about 10 times the number of genes previously studied.) Hundreds of these genes have similarities to known genes, called rhodopsins, that capture light energy from the sun. Future analyses may provide insights into these capabilities. Interestingly, the wealth of genes found came as a surprise to scientists who chose the nutrient poor site as one less likely to support a broad diversity of microbes and thus easier to study. (Findings were published in Sciencexpress (March 4, 2004).) |
Acid Mine Drainage Environment (Iron Mountain, California)
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