Metagenomics

Metagenomics studies genetic material recovered directly from communities of organisms. It reveals their diversity and potential functions without requiring each organism to be cultured individually.

Environmental DNA: Genetic material collected from an environment rather than directly from an identified organism. Metagenomic samples contain DNA shed or released by organisms into their surroundings.
Microbiome: A community of microorganisms in a particular environment, together with their ecological context. Metagenomics is a central way to characterize the genes and members of microbiomes.
DNA sequencing: The determination of the order of nucleotide bases in a DNA molecule. Metagenomics depends on sequencing environmental DNA to identify its genetic content.
Microbial culture: The growth of microorganisms under controlled laboratory conditions. Metagenomics can include organisms that standard laboratory culture does not recover.
Shotgun sequencing: A sequencing approach that reads many randomly selected fragments from a DNA sample. It captures genetic material from across a mixed community without targeting one organism.
Human microbiome project: A research initiative that characterized microbial communities associated with the human body. Its surveys demonstrated how metagenomic methods could map human-associated microbial communities.
Genome: The complete set of genetic material in an organism or biological entity. Metagenomic analysis aims to recover fragments, genes, or near-complete genomes from communities.
16S rRNA gene sequencing: A method that sequences selected regions of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene to profile bacteria and archaea. Unlike this marker-based method, metagenomics can survey genes beyond taxonomic markers.
Metagenomic assembly: The computational reconstruction of longer DNA sequences from overlapping reads in a metagenomic sample. Assembly turns short community-wide reads into longer sequences that are easier to interpret.
Wastewater-based epidemiology: The use of wastewater measurements to monitor health indicators in a population. Metagenomic sequencing can detect pathogens and resistance genes in sewage.

Linked from 32 pages