Genome Mining and Microbes

No, not that type of mining!

Thats more like it!

With the advent of next generation sequencing technologies, thousands of genomes have become available for scientists to use. As bioinformatic methods increase in their ability to sift through massive amounts of genomic data, biologists have begun exploring for genes within microbes that play key roles in metabolic pathways. These genes often encode for secondary metabolites - molecules that are synthesized in response to environmental cues that provide advantages to organisms. These molecules can help facilitate nutrient acquisition, create defense mechanisms against predatory organisms, and help resist toxic compounds. Often, the discovery of these secondary metabolites and the gene clusters that make them, have led to the creation of new life saving drugs!

Until recently, application of these techniques have mostly been focused on culturable microbes. However, with the creation of culture-independent microbiology methods, scientists have begun looking towards the worlds largest environment, the oceans! Microalgae, marine protists, marine fungi and other microbial organisms in the oceans have begun to have their genomes sifted through to find genes that code for the synthesis of natural drugs that could be used by the pharmaceutical industry.