A novel computational method to analyse metagenome for understanding of microbial community composition and functional potential

Abstract

There is a great potential for the use of bacterial communities for bioremediation and waste treatment. Systems metabolic engineering for microbial community redesign is a promising approach. The successful development of synthetic microbial communities is essential to add value to the main challenges for sustainable development, such as difficulties to cultivate bacteria in isolation[1], diversity of microbial communities, and many uncharacterized bacteria. Some of these challenges could be addressed by advances in computational tools and modelling. However, current tools only provide separate taxonomic [2] and functional analyses [3]. Development of a metagenomic analysis tool to investigate metagenomes deeply with the help of integrated taxonomic, functional and metabolic pathways analyses may allow to make community modelling and study complex interspecific relations inside the community. This would help finding ways to increase the functional potential of microbial communities either by optimizing external conditions and nutrients or by regulating the taxonomic content and proportions of the bacterial composition.