Recent Advances in Function-based Metagenomic Screening.
10.1016/j.gpb.2018.01.002
- Author:
Tanyaradzwa Rodgers NGARA
1
;
Houjin ZHANG
2
Author Information
1. Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, MOE Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Wuhan 430074, China.
2. Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, MOE Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Wuhan 430074, China. Electronic address: hjzhang@hust.edu.cn.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Agar plate screening;
FACS-based screening;
Function-based screening;
Metagenomics;
Microfluidics
- MeSH:
Animals;
Bacteria;
enzymology;
Enzymes;
genetics;
Gene Library;
High-Throughput Screening Assays;
methods;
Metagenome;
genetics;
Metagenomics;
methods;
Plants;
enzymology
- From:
Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics
2018;16(6):405-415
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
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.
