Short Communication
Unravelling Hidden Metabolic Capabilities in Microbial Mat Ecosystems by Combining In Situ Measurements and Omic Approaches
Mohammad Al-Najjar AA*
Red Sea Research Center, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- *Corresponding Author:
- Mohammad Al-Najjar AA
Red Sea Research Center, KAUST
Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
Tel: +966 2 808 3428
E-mail: [email protected]
Received Date: December 15, 2015; Accepted Date: December 22, 2015; Published Date: December 29, 2015
Citation: Mohammad Al-Najjar AA (2016) Unravelling Hidden Metabolic Capabilities in Microbial Mat Ecosystems by Combining In Situ Measurements and Omic Approaches. J Microb Biochem Technol 8: 019-020. doi:10.4172/1948- 5948.1000256
Copyright: © 2015 Mohammad Al-Najjar AA. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Microbial mats are unique ecosystems that harbor diversified metabolic capabilities raging from photosynthesis in the upper layer to fermentation and organic material degradation accompanied with methane production in the deepest layer. Microorganisms in a microbial mat are successful to flourish in extreme environments because they can shift their metabolism in response to the changes in their environment. These metabolic flexibility and capabilities of the microorganisms are underestimated because most of the studies so far have focused on measuring changing in the behavior of the inhabiting microorganisms, or on certain biochemical indicators, or on the shift of microbial community structure. However, to be able to broaden our understanding of the metabolic capabilities, an intensive study of the underlying molecular mechanisms should be carried out. Therefore, the best approach to be adopted is by combining in situ measurements with omics analysis (i.e., matatranscriptomic and/or metaproteomic) in response to changes in the environmental conditions.
