Metagenomics of the deep Mediterranean, a warm bathypelagic habitat.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Metagenomics is emerging as a powerful method to study the function and physiology of the unexplored microbial biosphere, and is causing us to re-evaluate basic precepts of microbial ecology and evolution. Most marine metagenomic analyses have been nearly exclusively devoted to photic waters.

Methodology/principal findings

We constructed a metagenomic fosmid library from 3,000 m-deep Mediterranean plankton, which is much warmer (approximately 14 degrees C) than waters of similar depth in open oceans (approximately 2 degrees C). We analyzed the library both by phylogenetic screening based on 16S rRNA gene amplification from clone pools and by sequencing both insert extremities of ca. 5,000 fosmids. Genome recruitment strategies showed that the majority of high scor

SUBMITTER: Martin-Cuadrado AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1976395 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature