Ecophysiology of yet-to-be cultured archaea inhabiting subsurface environments using environmental omics and cultivation based approach

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26710012
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Genome biology
• Research Institution: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: TAMAKI HIDEYUKI 国立研究開発法人産業技術総合研究所, 生命工学領域, 主任研究員 (00421842)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 未知微生物 / アーキア / 陸域地下圏 / 多様性 / 生物機能 / メタゲノム / 環境ゲノム / 培養

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Deep subsurface microbes likely contribute to global biogeochemical processes. However, very little is known about their biological entity, diversity and function. This study elucidated ecophysiology of uncultured archaea and bacteria inhabiting deep subsurface environments by using the environmental omics and advanced cultivation approaches as well as conventional methods. In particular, we found novel archaeal and bacterial lineages in the subsurface environments. Besides, we successfully reconstructed genomes of the uncultured microbes and revealed their potential metabolisms associated with carbon flux. We were further successful of cultivation of novel archaea and bacteria. One of the isolates is the first methanogic archaea able to produce methane from coal. This surprising discovery contributes to understanding natural gas origins and formation mechanisms, and infers that cultivation is still necessary to elucidate functions of uncultured microorganisms even in metagenomic era.

Free Research Field

環境微生物学、微生物生態学、農芸化学