Credit seminar on Functional Metagenomic Strategies for the discovery of Novel Enzymes

Metagenomics, the genomic analysis of a population of microorganisms, has emerged as a powerful centrepiece, which allows direct isolation of genomic DNA from an environment culturing the organisms under study, and cloning of it into a cultured organism.  The two approaches which govern the field of metagenomics are: sequence-based and function- based analysis.  Sequence-based analysis can involve complete sequencing of clones containing phylogenetic anchors that indicate the taxonomic group that is probable source of the DNA fragment. Functional-based analysis employs the construction of metagenomic libraries from DNA of diverse environmental samples in cloning vectors including plasmid, cosmid, fosmid and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) and host strains. Enzymes isolated from these microbes have the potential to possess quite unique physiological and biochemical properties.  This review outlines a number of function-based metagenomic approaches which are available to screen metagenomic libraries constructed to facilitate the exploitation of some of these potentially novel biocatalysts.  Functional screens to isolate novel metagenome-derived esterases, amylases and serine proteases enzymes among others, together with approaches which can be employed to help overcome some of the typical problems encountered with functional metagenomic- based screens are discussed.


Name of the student : Meenakshi Basu
Reg No: 1741210034
Batch: M.Tech II Year 
Name of the Guide : Dr. M Ramya