Scientists are using metagenomics to tackle one of themost significant problems affecting human beings: theresistance of many pathogenic bacteria to currentlyavailable antibiotics. One aspect of solving this problemis developing different bactericidal drugs. To do so,researchers are taking advantage of the discovery thatseveral bacterial species synthesize toxins that enablethem to prey on other bacterial species. Remarkably,these scientists have discovered that the enzymes thatwork in synthesis pathways to make such toxins oftenhave particular structures and therefore characteristicpatterns within their amino acid sequences.Describe how metagenomic analysis of the microbiomes of soil, the ocean, or the human bodycould enable researchers to discover new antibioticsthat could be effective on human pathogens.
Scientists are using metagenomics to tackle one of the
most significant problems affecting human beings: the
resistance of many pathogenic bacteria to currently
available antibiotics. One aspect of solving this problem
is developing different bactericidal drugs. To do so,
researchers are taking advantage of the discovery that
several bacterial species synthesize toxins that enable
them to prey on other bacterial species. Remarkably,
these scientists have discovered that the enzymes that
work in synthesis pathways to make such toxins often
have particular structures and therefore characteristic
patterns within their amino acid sequences.
Describe how metagenomic analysis of the microbiomes of soil, the ocean, or the human body
could enable researchers to discover new antibiotics
that could be effective on human pathogens.
Metagenomics is a field of science that deals with studying genetic material present in samples obtained from environment. Traditional genomics or microbiology instead, studies the organisms grown in clonal cultures.
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