Metagenomics
Metagenomics
Metagenomics (pronounced: meh-tuh-ge-no-mix) is a subfield of genomics that involves the study of genetic material recovered directly from environmental samples. The term is derived from the Greek meta meaning "beyond", and genomics, referring to the study of genomes.
Etymology
The term "metagenomics" was first used by Jo Handelsman, John Mekalanos and Robert Goodman in 1998, in a paper published in the journal Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews. The term is a combination of "meta-", a prefix in Greek meaning "beyond", and "genomics".
Overview
Metagenomics involves the use of modern genomic techniques to study communities of microbial organisms directly in their natural environments, bypassing the need for isolation and lab cultivation of individual species. This field of research has been greatly facilitated by the advent of next-generation sequencing technologies and bioinformatics tools.
Related Terms
- Microbiome: The collective genomes of the microorganisms in a particular environment.
- Microbial ecology: The study of the behavior and interactions of microorganisms in their natural habitats.
- Functional metagenomics: A branch of metagenomics that focuses on the collective functional genes of microbiota.
- Shotgun metagenomics: A method in metagenomics where DNA is randomly fragmented and sequenced.
Applications
Metagenomics has a wide range of applications, including but not limited to:
- Environmental microbiology: Metagenomics can be used to study microbial communities in various environments such as soil, water, and air.
- Healthcare: In healthcare, metagenomics can be used to study the human microbiome and its relationship with health and disease.
- Agriculture: In agriculture, metagenomics can be used to study the soil microbiome and its impact on crop health and productivity.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Metagenomics
- Wikipedia's article - Metagenomics
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