Decoding the roles of extremophilic microbes in the anaerobic environments: Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

The genome of an organism is directly or indirectly correlated with its environment. Consequently, different microbes have evolved to survive and sustain themselves in a variety of environments, including unusual anaerobic environments. It is believed that their genetic material could have played an important role in the early evolution of their existence in the past. Presently, out of the uncountable number of microbes found in different ecosystems we have been able to discover only one percent of the total communities. A large majority of the microbial populations exists in the most unusual and extreme environments. For instance, many anaerobic bacteria are found in the gastrointestinal tract of humans, soil, and hydrothermal vents. The recent advancements in Metagenomics and Next Generation Sequencing technologies have improved the understanding of their roles in these environments. Presently, anaerobic bacteria are used in various industries associated with biofuels, fermentation, production of enzymes, vaccines, vitamins, and dairy products. This broad applicability brings focus to the significant contribution of their genomes in these functions. Although the anaerobic microbes have become an irreplaceable component of our lives, a major and important section of such anaerobic microbes still remain unexplored. Therefore, it can be said that unlocking the role of the microbial genomes of the anaerobes can be a noteworthy discovery not just for mankind but for the entire biosystem as well.

Keywords: Anaerobe; Anaerobic; Extreme environments; Metagenomics; Microbes.

Graphical abstract

Fig. 1

Applications of anaerobic microbes in various industrial and non-industrial fields.

Fig. 2

A general schematic for metagenomic analysis.