Microorganisms: Biodiversity and Bioprospecting

Dr. Anu Appaiah K A Scientist, Food Microbiology CFTRI, Mysore

Biodiversity: what is it!

This gives the total range of variation and variability among bioregional landscape, ecosystem and habitat level systems and organisms. Biodiversity refers to the quality, range or extent of difference between the biological entities in a given set

The variation may be at organism level down to species, population and individuals and genes.

Biodiversity is dynamic
Species and their population are in a constant state of evolutionary change.

All these changes as well as human induced modification of biodiversity must be seen against the background of its 3.5 billion year history

Global biodiversity crisis

How is the biodiversity valued in different Cultures? How is it influenced by human action and activity? How can biological resources be used sustainable? How can the benefits derived from their use be shared fairly and equitably?

Designer baby

but
Where is the gene?

Knowledge of our Microbial diversity

Conservative estimates state that about 1-3% of the microbial diversity has been identified, classified catalogued
.

which means that more than 99% is yet to be discovered

Described and estimated species number

Group Described Estimated (range) Accuracy Plants 270,000 300,000 - 500,000 good Chordates 45,000 50,000 55,000 good Arthropods 1,065,000 2,375,000 -100 million moderate Nematodes 25,000 100,000 - 1,000,000 poor Fungi 75,000 200,000 10 million moderate Bacteria ~5,000 50,000 3 million (??) very poor Bull (2004) Microbial Diversity and Bioprospecting Unit of count (species) is an undefined quantity

Why is our knowledge about microbes so limited?

Today it is widely accepted that 80% of the microbial forms cannot be cultured with our present knowledge.

Why is Microbial Diversity Important?

Important values to the Earths ecosystem and to society 1. Microbes are of critical importance to the sustainability of life on Earth, including recycling of elements, maintenance of climate, degradation of wastes 2. Discoveries of microbial diversity expand the frontiers of knowledge about the limits and strategies of life 3. Microbial diversity represent the largest untapped reservoir of biodiversity for potential discovery of new biotechnology products, such as biopharmaceuticals, new enzymes, or organisms that carry out novel processes 4. Microbes often have key roles in conservation of higher organisms and in restoration of degraded ecosystems

Mitchell Sogin, Director of the Josephine Bay Paul Center in Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution at the Marine
Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

We estimate there are at least 25,000 different kinds of microbes per litre of seawater, says Sogin. But I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out there are 100,000 or more. A few of these microbes are common, and will probably use them to recover complete gene sequences, he says. The vast majority of low-abundance organisms are going undetected.

An exciting new field called metagenomics

offers a powerful lens for viewing the microbial world that has the potential to revolutionize understanding of the entire living world.
In metagenomics, the power of genomic analysis (the analysis of all the DNA in an organism) is applied to entire communities of microbes, bypassing the need to isolate and culture individual microbial species. This new science opens doors to a tremendous amount of scientific exploration.

MICROBIAL DIVERSITY AND BIOPROSPECTING

Biodiversity as a source of innovation in biotechnology Biotechnology = the art of exploiting biology International Convention on Biological Diversity defines genetic resources as genetic material of actual of potential value, inclusive of whole organisms, cell component and extracts, and nucleic acids. Microbial diversity as a major resource for biotechnological products and processes 1. Food and beverage biotechnology 2. Metabolites (amino acids, antibiotics, biopharmaceuticals,) 3. Enzymes 4. Organic synthesis 5. Single cell protein 6. Environmental biotechnology 7. Biological fuels Search for and discovery of novel microorganisms and properties

Why are microorganisms successful:

Success of these organisms is mainly due to their Small size

Ease of dispersal

Physiological and genetic diversify

Tolerance to extreme environments.

Processes developed monophyletic period*

during

the

Exploitation of chemical energy sources Uptake and extrusion of small molecules Biosynthesis pathways for intermediates Reliable macromolecular synthesis Regulation of macromolecular synthesis Synchrony of DNA synthesis and cell division Shape determination and cell division Responses to environmental challenges

* Retained today with relatively minor variations

Microbes have degradative mechanism for molecules yet to be synthesized and cure for disease yet to be discovered

One of the existing fields is Reverse Vaccinology and Drug designing

Open reading frames (ORF) prediction based on genomic sequence Homology searches for all the predicted ORFs Hit found No hit found Homology to virulence protein Localization prediction

Enzyme & Already Cytoplasmic Known localization antigen

Clone & Express

Secreted Outer membrane Inner membrane Periplasmic lipoproteins

cytoplasmic

National Priority :
With the passage of the Biodiversity Act 2002, it is the duty of every Biological Scientist to collect, document and preserve the rich Biodiversity of our country.
Bio-prospecting of DNA from Environmental samples and their preservation helps in developing a DNA library for the future need of the country.

Global requirements :
This helps in reaching the requirements of emerging and trust area of Biodiversity Documentation. Further with an understanding today, that 80% of the Micro organism can not be grown (uncultivable microbes); the only way of harvesting and exploiting their genomes for the benefit of mankind is by Bio-prospecting

There is more work to be done than is done in the field of microbial diversity