Metagenomics And Microbe Metabolism

摘要

Metagenomics allows direct sequencing of environmental samples and can yield insights into complex microbial communities. Comparative metagenomic studies have shown significant variation in microbial genome size and metabolic capabilities in different environments butrnhave not previously incorporated quantitative measurements of the environment. Tara Gianoulis et al. used correlation and regression to link microbial metabolism changes to environmental gradients. Drawing on data from the Global Ocean Survey, the authors used environmental mea-surements and metagenomic samples for 37 locations to define geographic sites and their environmental or metabolic features. The authors first identified linear relationships among microbial pathways present in a geographic location and then determined more complex, higher-order rela-tionships by using canonical correlation analysis. Gianoulis et al. found that differences in energy conversion strategies resulted in many of the variations linked to differences in the environment.