Diversa Scientists First to Link Protein Function to Genetic Sequence Information Derived From Complex Microbial Communities
Wednesday April 21, 6:31 am ET
Diversa's Metabiology Research Sheds Light on How Microbial Communities Function in the Environment
SAN DIEGO, April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Diversa Corporation (Nasdaq: DVSA - News) announced its scientists are the first to link the precise function of proteins to genetic sequence information derived from complex microbial communities, such as those living in tropical rainforests and deep ocean vents. Diversa believes advances such as this in metabiology, the genomics-driven science of microbial interaction with the environment, will help address complex commercial challenges such as energy production, understanding infectious disease mechanisms, and improving human and animal nutrition by providing a greater understanding of microbial sequence data and how microbes interact with one another in natural environments. Diversa's recent findings from its ongoing metabiology research have been published in the April 2004 issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Diversa also announced today that it received additional grant funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) to apply its proprietary high throughput culturing (HTC) technology for growing previously uncultured microbes, combined with other metabiology technologies, to solve the problems posed by large-scale sequencing of microbial communities.
"In the environment, virtually all microorganisms exist in complex communities whose function as a whole is far greater than the sum of what their individual members can achieve. Understanding these interactions -- the ways in which microorganisms work together to achieve complex tasks -- will provide insights that can be used to address global challenges of energy production, improving human and animal nutrition, understanding infectious disease mechanisms, and furthering environmental remediation," stated Jay M. Short, Ph.D., Diversa's President and Chief Executive Officer.
Diversa's pioneering work in metagenomics, the initiative to sequence microbial communities, began in the 1990's with an innovative study that sequenced environmental samples from thermal vents at Yellowstone National Park and the digestive systems of scorpions from Mexico. Diversa expanded its effort in December 2000 through a large-scale sequencing agreement with Celera to produce sequence data on samples taken from complex environments, including Owens Valley in California. In May 2003 Diversa and the Joint Genome Institute formed a collaboration to sequence diverse microbial ecosystems and later that year completed the first large-scale environmental sequencing effort performed on agricultural soils. Most recently, Diversa established a relationship with the San Diego Zoo to study microbial flora in endangered species. Following Diversa's lead, research groups published the results of sequencing environmental samples from Iron Mountain and the Sargasso Sea in early 2004. The American Academy of Microbiology recently recognized the advances in metagenomics in a report released on April 7, 2004, titled "The Global Genome Question: Microbes as the Key to Understanding Evolution and Ecology," calling for researchers to apply microbial genomics research in "real-world" settings by studying entire microbial communities. Today, Diversa is breaking new ground in the field of metabiology, which takes metagenomics one step further by seeking to understand how genetic sequence relates to microbial interaction and function as a community.
Dr. Short added, "Diversa's proprietary technologies are enabling the transition from metagenomics, which involves generating the sequence information from entire microbial communities, to metabiology, which examines how microorganisms interact with each other and with their environment."
Diversa published recent progress related to its metabiology research in the April 2004 issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 70, No. 4. The article, titled "Exploring Nitrilase Sequence Space for Enantioselective Catalysis," describes Diversa scientists' characterization of nitrilases, a class of proteins, which were derived from more than 600 environmental samples of complex microbial communities. Using extensive genetic sequence and functional data collected from these samples, Diversa scientists were, for the first time, able to predict enzymatic substrate specificity, or the precise function of an enzyme, based on genetic sequence information. Diversa characterized in detail 137 of its large collection of unique, environmentally-derived nitrilases, which have proven useful in the production of a variety of pharmaceuticals, including the blockbuster drug Lipitor. Diversa's ability to predict precise enzyme function represents a breakthrough in the ability to utilize the ever-increasing database of microbial sequence information. Previously, fewer than 20 nitrilases had been discovered from cultured organisms and reported by scientists worldwide in scientific and patent literature.
Supported by a new grant from the Department of Energy's Genomics: GTL program, Diversa will apply its high-throughput culturing and other metabiology technologies to recover and sequence previously uncultured microbial communities taken from complex environmental samples such as seawater or soil. Diversa's HTC technology allows scientists to grow microorganisms in isolation or in communities by creating nano-environments similar to the organisms' natural habitats. Since the microbes are cultured, the genomic sequence information can be assigned to a living organism, enabling the biological potential of that organism to be studied and applied. Applying Diversa's proprietary technologies to unexplored microbial diversity is yielding insights that are expected to advance a broader global genome effort, which seeks solutions for addressing major global challenges such as energy production and environmental remediation. |
