A low-cost,high-throughput microfluidic nano-culture platform for functional metagenomics

Functional metagenomics is an attractive culture-independent approach for functional screening of diverse microbiomes to identify known and novel genes. Since functional screening can involve sifting through tens of thousands of metagenomic library clones, an easy high-throughput screening approach is desirable. Here, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept application of a low-cost, high-throughput droplet based microfluidic assay to the selection of antibiotic resistance genes from a soil metagenomic library. Metagenomic library members encapsulated in nanoliter volume water-in-oil droplets were printed on glass slides robotically, and cell growth in individual drops in the presence of ampicillin was imaged and quantified to identify ampicillin-resistant clones. From the hits, true positives were confirmed by sequencing and functional validation. The ease of liquid handling, ease of set-up, low cost, and robust workflow makes the droplet-based nano-culture platform a promising candidate for screening and selection assays for functional metagenomic libraries.     

Achievements and new knowledge unraveled by metagenomic approaches

Metagenomics has paved the way for cultivation-independent assessment and exploitation of microbial communities present in complex ecosystems. In recent years, significant progress has been made in this research area. A major breakthrough was the improvement and development of high-throughput next-generation sequencing technologies. The application of these technologies resulted in the generation of large datasets derived from various environments such as soil and ocean water. The analyses of these datasets opened a window into the enormous phylogenetic and metabolic diversity of microbial communities living in a variety of ecosystems. In this way, structure, functions, and interactions of microbial communities were elucidated. Metagenomics has proven to be a powerful tool for the recovery of novel biomolecules. In most cases, functional metagenomics comprising construction and screening of complex metagenomic DNA libraries has been applied to isolate new enzymes and drugs of industrial importance. For this purpose, several novel and improved screening strategies that allow efficient screening of large collections of clones harboring metagenomes have been introduced.     

宏基因组学挖掘新型生物催化剂的研究进展

微生物蕴藏着大量具有工业应用潜力的生物催化剂。然而,传统培养方法只能从环境中获得不到1%的微生物。宏基因组学是通过提取某一特定环境中的所有微生物基因组DNA、构建基因组文库并对文库进行筛选,寻找和发现新的功能基因的一种方法。它绕过了微生物分离培养过程,成为研究环境样品中不可培养微生物的有力手段。因此,从宏基因组中挖掘新型生物催化剂一直倍受生物学家的关注。以下主要对宏基因组文库的样品来源、DNA提取方法、文库的构建和筛选策略的选择这4个方面的研究状况进行了综述,列举了近年来利用宏基因组技术所获得的新型生物催化剂,并对其今后的研究方向提出了展望。     

Marine metagenomics: strategies for the discovery of novel enzymes with biotechnological applications from marine environments

Metagenomic based strategies have previously been successfully employed as powerful tools to isolate and identify enzymes with novel biocatalytic activities from the unculturable component of microbial communities from various terrestrial environmental niches. Both sequence based and function based screening approaches have been employed to identify genes encoding novel biocatalytic activities and metabolic pathways from metagenomic libraries. While much of the focus to date has centred on terrestrial based microbial ecosystems, it is clear that the marine environment has enormous microbial biodiversity that remains largely unstudied. Marine microbes are both extremely abundant and diverse; the environments they occupy likewise consist of very diverse niches. As culture-dependent methods have thus far resulted in the isolation of only a tiny percentage of the marine microbiota the application of metagenomic strategies holds great potential to study and exploit the enormous microbial biodiversity which is present within these marine environments.     

Biotechnological prospects from metagenomics

The recognition that most microorganisms in the environment cannot be cultured by standard methods stimulated the development of metagenomics, which is the genomic analysis of uncultured microorganisms. Two types of analysis have been used to obtain information from metagenomic libraries: a function-driven approach, in which metagenomic libraries are initially screened for an expressed trait, and a sequence-driven approach, in which libraries are initially screened for particular DNA sequences. New antibiotics and enzymes are among the early discoveries from metagenomics. Future refinement of methods that enrich for genes of particular function will accelerate the rate of discovery of useful molecules.     

Captured metagenomics: large-scale targeting of genes based on ‘sequence capture’ reveals functional diversity in soils

Microbial enzyme diversity is a key to understand many ecosystem processes. Whole metagenome sequencing (WMG) obtains information on functional genes, but it is costly and inefficient due to large amount of sequencing that is required. In this study, we have applied a captured metagenomics technique for functional genes in soil microorganisms, as an alternative to WMG. Large-scale targeting of functional genes, coding for enzymes related to organic matter degradation, was applied to two agricultural soil communities through captured metagenomics. Captured metagenomics uses custom-designed, hybridization-based oligonucleotide probes that enrich functional genes of interest in metagenomic libraries where only probe-bound DNA fragments are sequenced. The captured metagenomes were highly enriched with targeted genes while maintaining their target diversity and their taxonomic distribution correlated well with the traditional ribosomal sequencing. The captured metagenomes were highly enriched with genes related to organic matter degradation; at least five times more than similar, publicly available soil WMG projects. This target enrichment technique also preserves the functional representation of the soils, thereby facilitating comparative metagenomics projects. Here, we present the first study that applies the captured metagenomics approach in large scale, and this novel method allows deep investigations of central ecosystem processes by studying functional gene abundances.     

宏基因组技术在新型生物燃料生产酶制剂开发中的应用

随着石化燃料的日益减少,以植物生物质为原料的可再生生物燃料成为石化燃料的理想替代品。然而微生物降解生物质效率低下,是生物燃料生产过程中一大难题,因此开发效率高、稳定性强的微生物酶制剂显得尤为重要。近年来,宏基因组技术的发展为生物燃料的生产提供了多种新型酶制剂。宏基因组技术是直接提取环境样品中的总DNA,通过构建文库,筛选目的基因或功能基因的方法,在用于燃料生产的新型酶制剂的开发中发挥着重要作用。本文概述了宏基因组技术的实施策略,总结了包括纤维素酶、蛋白酶、酯酶、脂肪酶等多种酶资源开发的最新研究进展,并综合和讨论了通过酶法将木质纤维素等生物材料有效转化为生物燃料的途径,为新酶的开发提供了新思路。     

Recent Advances in Function-based Metagenomic Screening

Metagenomes from uncultured microorganisms are rich resources for novel enzyme genes. The methods used to screen the metagenomic libraries fall into two categories, which are based on sequence or function of the enzymes. The sequence-based approaches rely on the known sequences of the target gene families. In contrast, the function-based approaches do not involve the incorporation of metagenomic sequencing data and, therefore, may lead to the discovery of novel gene sequences with desired functions. In this review, we discuss the function-based screening strategies that have been used in the identification of enzymes from metagenomes. Because of its simplicity, agar plate screening is most commonly used in the identification of novel enzymes with diverse functions. Other screening methods with higher sensitivity are also employed, such as microtiter plate screening. Furthermore, several ultra-high-throughput methods were developed to deal with large metagenomic libraries. Among these are the FACS-based screening, droplet-based screening, and the in vivo reporter-based screening methods. The application of these novel screening strategies has increased the chance for the discovery of novel enzyme genes.     

宏基因组学研究进展

不可培养微生物占据微生物总数的99%以上, 这己成为微生物资源开发利用的一个限制性因素。宏基因组学是通过提取某一环境中的所有微生物基因组DNA、构建基因组文库及对文库进行筛选寻找和发现新的功能基因及活性代谢产物的一种方法。它避开了微生物分离培养的过程, 极大地扩展了微生物资源的利用空间, 是现代基因工程一个新的发展方向和研究热点。本文主要对宏基因组的DNA提取方法、文库的构建、筛选策略的选择及近年来宏基因组学在各领域中的应用研究现状进行了综述。     

Open resource metagenomics: a model for sharing metagenomic libraries

Both sequence-based and activity-based exploitation of environmental DNA have provided unprecedented access to the genomic content of cultivated and uncultivated microorganisms. Although researchers deposit microbial strains in culture collections and DNA sequences in databases, activity-based metagenomic studies typically only publish sequences from the hits retrieved from specific screens. Physical metagenomic libraries, conceptually similar to entire sequence datasets, are usually not straightforward to obtain by interested parties subsequent to publication. In order to facilitate unrestricted distribution of metagenomic libraries, we propose the adoption of open resource metagenomics, in line with the trend towards open access publishing, and similar to culture- and mutant-strain collections that have been the backbone of traditional microbiology and microbial genetics. The concept of open resource metagenomics includes preparation of physical DNA libraries, preferably in versatile vectors that facilitate screening in a diversity of host organisms, and pooling of clones so that single aliquots containing complete libraries can be easily distributed upon request. Database deposition of associated metadata and sequence data for each library provides researchers with information to select the most appropriate libraries for further research projects. As a starting point, we have established the Canadian MetaMicroBiome Library (CM²BL [1]). The CM²BL is a publicly accessible collection of cosmid libraries containing environmental DNA from soils collected from across Canada, spanning multiple biomes. The libraries were constructed such that the cloned DNA can be easily transferred to Gateway® compliant vectors, facilitating functional screening in virtually any surrogate microbial host for which there are available plasmid vectors. The libraries, which we are placing in the public domain, will be distributed upon request without restriction to members of both the academic research community and industry. This article invites the scientific community to adopt this philosophy of open resource metagenomics to extend the utility of functional metagenomics beyond initial publication, circumventing the need to start from scratch with each new research project.     

Metagenomics for the development of new biocatalysts to advance lignocellulose saccharification for bioeconomic development

The world economy is moving toward the use of renewable and nonedible lignocellulosic biomasses as substitutes for fossil sources in order to decrease the environmental impact of manufacturing processes and overcome the conflict with food production. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the feedstock is a key technology for bio-based chemical production, and the identification of novel, less expensive and more efficient biocatalysts is one of the main challenges. As the genomic era has shown that only a few microorganisms can be cultured under standard laboratory conditions, the extraction and analysis of genetic material directly from environmental samples, termed metagenomics, is a promising way to overcome this bottleneck. Two screening methodologies can be used on metagenomic material: the function-driven approach of expression libraries and sequence-driven analysis based on gene homology. Both techniques have been shown to be useful for the discovery of novel biocatalysts for lignocellulose conversion, and they enabled identification of several (hemi)cellulases and accessory enzymes involved in (hemi)cellulose hydrolysis. This review summarizes the latest progress in metagenomics aimed at discovering new enzymes for lignocellulose saccharification.     

DNA稳定同位素探针技术在宏基因组学中的应用及前景

DNA稳定同位素探针 (DNA-SIP) 是一种新兴的技术,通过将同位素稳定结合到特定的底物来确定环境中微生物的作用。DNA-SIP与宏基因组学结合可以让某些微生物的特性与其特殊新陈代谢联系在一起,不仅可以从宏基因组库里检测到低含量的微生物,而且加速了对新的酶类和其他生物活性物质的发现。以下总结了SIP-宏基因组学技术的原理、应用及研究进展,并讨论了其在环境微生物学和生物技术的应用前景。     

土壤宏基因组文库来源酯酶的鉴定与表征

【目的】利用宏基因组学技术挖掘土壤微生物来源的新型酯酶。【方法】构建土壤微生物宏基因组文库,利用三丁酸甘油酯平板法对所构建的文库进行筛选,并对阳性克隆中鉴定出的酯酶基因进行异源表达和生物化学特性分析。【结果】通过筛选文库中的12万个克隆,获得了一个阳性克隆,对克隆中的DNA片段进行序列分析,发现了一个可能的酯酶基因,通过研究其表达产物,确定其最适pH为9.0,最适反应温度为56°C,在90°C下仍可保持20%的酶活性;能专一性水解短链脂类,对长链脂类无水解作用;对一定浓度范围内的有机试剂如二甲基亚砜、甲醇、乙醇有较好的耐受性,尤其当二甲基亚砜含量为10%(体积比)时,相对酶活可提高44%。【结论】不依赖于微生物可培养性的宏基因组学技术可以发现新的活性酶,本研究获得的对高温、有机试剂有较好耐受性的酯酶ESTYN1具有在工业生产中应用的潜力。     

A Robust and Adaptable High Throughput Screening Method to Study Host-Microbiota Interactions in the Human Intestine

The intestinal microbiota has many beneficial roles for its host. However, the precise mechanisms developed by the microbiota to influence the host intestinal cell responses are only partially known. The complexity of the ecosystem and our inability to culture most of these micro-organisms have led to the development of molecular approaches such as functional metagenomics, i.e. the heterologous expression of a metagenome in order to identify functions. This elegant strategy coupled to high throughput screening allowed to identify novel enzymes from different ecosystems where culture methods have not yet been adapted to isolate the candidate microorganisms. We have proposed to use this functional metagenomic approach in order to model the microbiota’s interaction with the host by combining this heterologous expression with intestinal reporter cell lines. The addition of the cellular component to this functional metagenomic approach introduced a second important source of variability resulting in a novel challenge for high throughput screening. First attempts of high throughput screening with various reporter cell-lines showed a high distribution of the response and consequent difficulties to reproduce the response, impairing an easy and clear identification of confirmed hits. In this study, we developed a robust and reproducible methodology to combine these two biological systems for high throughput application. We optimized experimental setups and completed them by appropriate statistical analysis tools allowing the use this innovative approach in a high throughput manner and on a broad range of reporter assays. We herewith present a methodology allowing a high throughput screening combining two biological systems. Therefore ideal conditions for homogeneity, sensitivity and reproducibility of both metagenomic clones as well as reporter cell lines have been identified and validated. We believe that this innovative method will allow the identification of new bioactive microbial molecules and, subsequently, will promote understanding of host-microbiota interactions.     

Metagenomic analysis of Streptomyces lividans reveals host-dependent functional expression

Most functional metagenomic studies have been limited by the poor expression of many genes derived from metagenomic DNA in Escherichia coli, which has been the predominant surrogate host to date. To expand the range of expressed genes, we developed tools for construction and functional screening of metagenomic libraries in Streptomyces lividans. We expanded on previously published protocols by constructing a system that enables retrieval and characterization of the metagenomic DNA from biologically active clones. To test the functionality of these methods, we constructed and screened two metagenomic libraries in S. lividans. One was constructed with pooled DNA from 14 bacterial isolates cultured from Alaskan soil and the second with DNA directly extracted from the same soil. Functional screening of these libraries identified numerous clones with hemolytic activity, one clone that produces melanin by a previously unknown mechanism, and one that induces the overproduction of a secondary metabolite native to S. lividans. All bioactive clones were functional in S. lividans but not in E. coli, demonstrating the advantages of screening metagenomic libraries in more than one host.     

宏基因组学在新型生物催化剂开发中的研究进展

宏基因组学是基因工程发展的新方向,它为寻找和发现新的功能基因及生物催化剂提供了新的研究策略。着重论述了宏基因组学的研究方法,包括DNA的提取、文库的构建以及筛选策略的选择。同时介绍了近年来宏基因组学应用于新型生物催化剂开发中所取得的一些成果。     

Screening for novel lipolytic enzymes from uncultured soil microorganisms

The construction and screening of metagenomic libraries constitute a valuable resource for obtaining novel biocatalysts. In this work, we present the construction of a metagenomic library in Escherichia coli using fosmid and microbial DNA directly isolated from forest topsoil and screened for lipolytic enzymes. The library consisted of 33,700 clones with an average DNA insert size of 35 kb. Eight unique lipolytic active clones were obtained from the metagenomic library on the basis of tributyrin hydrolysis. Subsequently, secondary libraries in a high-copy-number plasmid were generated to select lipolytic subclones and to characterize the individual genes responsible for the lipolytic activity. DNA sequence analysis of six genes revealed that the enzymes encoded by the metagenomic genes for lipolytic activity were novel with 34–48% similarity to known enzymes. They had conserved sequences similar to those in the hormone-sensitive lipase family. Based on their deduced amino acid similarity, the six genes encoding lipolytic enzymes were further divided into three subgroups, the identities among which ranged from 33% to 45%. The six predicted gene products were successfully expressed in E. coli and secreted into the culture broth. Most of the secreted enzymes showed a catalytic activity for hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl butyrate (C₄) but not p-nitrophenyl palmitate (C₁₆).