Applications and perspectives of metagenomics in environmental microbiome research

Abstract:

Since Roche launched the first commercial next-generation DNA sequencer in 2005, high-throughput sequencing-based metagenomic approaches have been widely employed to analyze the composition and functions of microbial communities in various environments, revealing numerous novel species, genes, enzymes, and metabolic processes within environmental microbiomes. The relevant work indicates that uncultured microorganisms play crucial roles in driving biogeochemical cycles and promotes theoretical breakthroughs and technological innovation in areas such as pollutant degradation, environmental remediation, biotechnology, and natural pharmaceutical development. This review comprehensively discusses the applications and progress of metagenomics in environmental microbiome, focusing on four aspects of discovery including new species, functional genes (clusters), metabolic pathways, and Microorganism-Environment-Performance (M-E-P) nexus, and prospects the future research.