Marine Micro
307
Part B | 11.2
11. Microbial Bioprospecting in Marine Environments
Mariana Lozada, Hebe M. Dionisi
During evolution microorganisms accumulated
a remarkable physiological and functional heterogeneity as a result of their adaptation to various
selective environmental pressures. Marine microorganisms have been evolving and diversifying
for billions of years in contrast microorganisms
from terrestrial habitats, which possess a much
shorter evolutionary history. In addition, the
oceans harbor unique habitats that are mostly
unexplored, making them exciting targets for bioprospecting of new microbial capabilities. Over the
last years, novel and more complex approaches
for the screening of molecules and activities from
marine microorganisms with biotechnological potential have been developed and successfully
applied. In this chapter, we explore methodological approaches that are currently being used for
microbial bioprospecting, with emphasis in the
marine environment. These include, among others, high-throughput and other advanced culti11.1 Bioprospecting .................................... 307
11.2 Marine Microbial Habitats and Their
Biotechnologically-Relevant
Microorganisms ................................... 308
11.3 Methods for Microbial Bioprospecting
in Marine Environments ....................... 309
11.3.1 Culturing Techniques ................. 309
11.3.2 Culture Independent
Gene-Targeted Methods............. 311
11.3.3 Omics and Meta-Omics
Approaches............................... 313
11.4 Conclusions ......................................... 319
References................................................... 319
vation techniques aiming to recover a larger
fraction of culturable microbes, as well as cultureindependent, omics and meta-omics approaches
for mining the microbial metabolic potential.
11.1 Bioprospecting
The term bioprospecting refers to the systematic
search for novel biological products and activities with
biotechnological applications in natural habitats [11.1].
The course of search and discovery in biotechnology starts with the selection of the most appropriate
environments and sampling methods from previous
information, continues with the retrieval of the biological materials and their correct storage, moves through
screening for desired attributes in the form of microbial assemblages, cells, macromolecules, metabolites,
or bioactive compounds using an ever-growing toolkit,
and culminates with the development of a commercial
product or process ([11.2], Fig. 11.1). This workflow
represents a value-adding chain that ends with the
addition of products and services that respond to society’s needs [11.3]. The biotechnological potential of
microbial diversity can be further improved by tools
such as enzyme engineering, metabolic engineering and
directed evolution [11.4]. Due to their exceptional microbial biodiversity, marine habitats represent fertile
grounds for bioprospecting. In this chapter, we will explore the state-of-the art and emerging approaches that
can be used to search for biological products and activities with applications in all biotechnological fields.
307
Part B | 11.2
11. Microbial Bioprospecting in Marine Environments
Mariana Lozada, Hebe M. Dionisi
During evolution microorganisms accumulated
a remarkable physiological and functional heterogeneity as a result of their adaptation to various
selective environmental pressures. Marine microorganisms have been evolving and diversifying
for billions of years in contrast microorganisms
from terrestrial habitats, which possess a much
shorter evolutionary history. In addition, the
oceans harbor unique habitats that are mostly
unexplored, making them exciting targets for bioprospecting of new microbial capabilities. Over the
last years, novel and more complex approaches
for the screening of molecules and activities from
marine microorganisms with biotechnological potential have been developed and successfully
applied. In this chapter, we explore methodological approaches that are currently being used for
microbial bioprospecting, with emphasis in the
marine environment. These include, among others, high-throughput and other advanced culti11.1 Bioprospecting .................................... 307
11.2 Marine Microbial Habitats and Their
Biotechnologically-Relevant
Microorganisms ................................... 308
11.3 Methods for Microbial Bioprospecting
in Marine Environments ....................... 309
11.3.1 Culturing Techniques ................. 309
11.3.2 Culture Independent
Gene-Targeted Methods............. 311
11.3.3 Omics and Meta-Omics
Approaches............................... 313
11.4 Conclusions ......................................... 319
References................................................... 319
vation techniques aiming to recover a larger
fraction of culturable microbes, as well as cultureindependent, omics and meta-omics approaches
for mining the microbial metabolic potential.
11.1 Bioprospecting
The term bioprospecting refers to the systematic
search for novel biological products and activities with
biotechnological applications in natural habitats [11.1].
The course of search and discovery in biotechnology starts with the selection of the most appropriate
environments and sampling methods from previous
information, continues with the retrieval of the biological materials and their correct storage, moves through
screening for desired attributes in the form of microbial assemblages, cells, macromolecules, metabolites,
or bioactive compounds using an ever-growing toolkit,
and culminates with the development of a commercial
product or process ([11.2], Fig. 11.1). This workflow
represents a value-adding chain that ends with the
addition of products and services that respond to society’s needs [11.3]. The biotechnological potential of
microbial diversity can be further improved by tools
such as enzyme engineering, metabolic engineering and
directed evolution [11.4]. Due to their exceptional microbial biodiversity, marine habitats represent fertile
grounds for bioprospecting. In this chapter, we will explore the state-of-the art and emerging approaches that
can be used to search for biological products and activities with applications in all biotechnological fields.