Genomics, environmental genomics and the issue of microbial species

Microbial Genomics

It is well known that the gut microbiota regulates homeostasis of the digestive system; however, the mechanisms involved have been difficult to uncover. By manipulating the germ environment of Drosophila alongside genomic analyses of its symbiont, Acetobacter pomorum, Shin et al. (2011) deduce a pathway that relies on the collaboration between a bacterial enzymatic reaction and the host insulin...

Autism and environmental genomics.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are defined by behavior and diagnosed by clinical history and observation but have no biomarkers and are presumably, etiologically and biologically heterogeneous. Given brain abnormalities and high monozygotic concordance, ASDs have been framed as neurobiologically based and highly genetic, which has shaped the research agenda and in particular criteria for choos...

Microbial genomics challenge Darwin

This collection of 14 articles in Frontiers in Cellular and Infectious Microbiology aims to re-assess Darwinian and neo-darwinian concepts of biological evolution in the light of the discoveries in comparative genomics of microbes in the twenty-first century. At the time of the publication of the Origins of species in 1859 (Darwin, 1859), Darwin’s vision of evolution revolutionized the scientif...

Microbial Genomics: Tropical Treasure?

A Brazilian consortium has unveiled the genomic DNA sequence of the purple-pigmented bacterium Chromobacterium violaceum, a dominant component of the tropical soil microbiota. The sequence provides insight into the abundant potential of this organism for biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications.

Genomics update Microbial sunscreens