Metagenomics is the study or survey of microbial gene sequences on a huge scale. Millions of different microbes living in an environment can be analyzed and categorized.
It is estimated that up to 99.8% of microorganisms living in our environment are either non-culturable, or not readily culturable. Metagenome technology (metagenomics) uses a culture-independent approach to collect, sort, categorize and identify sequences of microbes retrieved from environmental samples such as soil or water.
DNA is extracted directly from an environmental sample and then cloned in laboratory bacteria: one sample may contain fragments of thousands or millions of microbes. From this huge plate of DNA spaghetti, a library of microbial gene sequences is created that includes all of the microbes in a particular environment. The process of sorting and piecing together the numerous genetic fragments seems like a daunting task, especially when so many different microbes can be extracted from one sample. However, DNA sequencing technology and computers assist in making sense of these meta-jigsaw puzzles.
Why is metagenomics important? Gene sequences of previously unknown microbes can be examined to identify molecules that may be useful as therapies, or to further aid in our understanding of antibiotic resistance.
