Metagenomic applications in microbial diversity, bioremediation, pollution monitoring, enzyme and drug discovery. A review

Metagenomics is a technology employed to study genetic material directly isolated from environmental samples. Metagenomics thus reveals knowledge on microbial communities of uncultivable organisms in environmental niches, using screening technologies based on sequence and function. Applications include the identification of novel bacteria or gene clusters encoding for enzymes that degrade pollutants. Metagenomics also help to diagnose and monitor pathogens. Here, we review application of metagenomics for bioremediation, pollution monitoring, enzyme, and drug discovery.