Due to the transformation that microbiology has experienced over the past 25 years, microbiologists now have an altered view of microorganisms and how to properly understand them. Now that the microbiologists know it is difficult to grow most microorganisms in pure culture, they have acknowledged their degree of ignorance about the variety of metabolic and organismal diversity that exists. Very few persistent scientists suggested that a pure culture alone is not enough to completely understand the full spectrum of modern microbial diversity. This realization came with the recognition that the uncultured microorganisms needed to be studied further.
What is currently shaping microbiology is known as metagenomics. Metagenomics is the study and analysis of genetic material, which is directly extracted and cloned DNA from a collection of different microorganisms from environmental samples. Environmental, population, and community genomics is also referred to as metagenomics. The term metagenomics was coined from the idea that it is an analysis of identical but not a similar collection and, meta meaning analysis of a bunch of analyses. Pioneer Carl Woese, who found out that rRNA genes provide evolutionary chronometers during 1985 radically changed what we then knew about microbiology. A scientist named Pace and his colleagues started building on Woese’s work and eventually forming a new branch of microbial ecology. 5s and 16S rRNA gene sequences in the environment were used to conduct direct analysis to further explore the diversity of microorganisms in an uncultured sample. The emergence of metagenomics has been a powerful centerpiece of microbiology. Being able to study culture-independent samples has advanced us to now study and preserve the organisms by directly isolating genomic DNA from a specific environment and cloning it.
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While it was challenging for the early studies to completely rely on direct sequencing of RNA or sequencing of reverse transcription-generated DNA copies, the breakthrough arrived when PCR technology was developed. Designs of primers were used to boost almost the entire gene. Habitats across the world were tested by the new technique which speeds up the discovery of diverse taxa. The use of PCR technology revealed that there is a high diversity of uncultured microorganisms. Metagenomics has different approaches. There are sequence-based analyses and functional metagenomics (heterologous expression). The strength of these approaches also came with individual limitations however, when used together it has enriched our knowledge of the groups of prokaryotes that were otherwise entirely unknown to us. Metagenomics is also used to answer any questions about microbial ecology. It has allowed us to study the nature of symbiosis between various organisms. The first symbiosis that was explored was that of Buchnera-aphid symbiosis. Another relationship explored was Proteobacterium-tube worm symbiosis. Metagenomics has also helped us in understanding the role of competition and communication between microbial communities. Another aspect that metagenomics has helped us understand is the role of small molecules, which has proved imperative for pharmaceutical applications with a concentration on antibiotics. It has also allowed us to conduct an assessment of biochemical and metabolic functions. Metagenomics also allowed us to conclude that even uniformed populations can contain significant microheterogeneity.
Metagenomics has made a huge impact in our world, however further advancement is still needed in order to make more progress. This subject relates to my life, as I am studying genetics and life science. Metagenomics has been an essential part of understanding several microorganisms so far. The more we are able to learn, the more advances we can make in the field of science. As a student who is planning to pursue a medical career, I am expecting that metagenomics is going to be a huge part of the medical field. Especially, being able to learn about the human and the gut microbiome will help us identify new problems and solve old ones related to human health.
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Metagenomics: Application Of Genomics To Uncultured Microorganisms.
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