| Functional Metagenomics using Stable Isotope Probing: a Review |
| Nguyen Xuan Que Vo1, Hojeong Kang2, and Joonhong Park2† |
1Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
2Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea |
Corresponding Author:
Joonhong Park ,Tel: +82-2-2123-5798, Fax: +82-2-312-5798, Email: parkj@yonsei.ac.kr
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Received: September 8, 2007; Accepted: November 8, 2007. |
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| ABSTRACT |
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The microbial eco-physiology has been the vital key of microbial ecological research. Unfortunately, available methods for direct identity of
microorganisms and for the investigation of their activity in complicated community dynamics are limited. In this study, metagenomics was
considered as a promising functional genomics tool for improving our understanding of microbial eco-physiology. Its potential applications and
challenges were also reviewed. Because of tremendous diversity in microbial populations in environment, sequence analysis for whole metagenomic
libraries from environmental samples seems to be unrealistic to most of environmental engineering researchers. When a target function is of
interest, however, sequence analysis for whole metagenomic libraries would not be necessary. For this case, nucleic acids of active populations of
interest can be selectively gained using another cutting-edge functional genomic tool, SIP (stable isotope probing) technique. If functional genomes
isolated by SIP can be transferred into metagenomic library, sequence analysis for such selected functional genomes would be feasible because the
reduced size of clone library may become adequate for sequencing analysis. Herein, integration of metagenomics with SIP was suggested as a novel
functional genomics approach to study microbial eco-physiology in environment. |
| Keywords:
Eco-physiology | Functional genomics | Microbial ecology | Systems biology |
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