Hongoh Yuichi
Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.
Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2010;74(6):1145-51. doi: 10.1271/bbb.100094. Epub 2010 Jun 7.
Termites play a key role in the global carbon cycle as decomposers. Their ability to thrive solely on dead plant matter is chiefly attributable to the activities of gut microbes, which comprise protists, bacteria, and archaea. Although the majority of the gut microbes are as yet unculturable, molecular analyses have gradually been revealing their diversity and symbiotic mechanisms. Culture-independent studies indicate that a single termite species harbors several hundred species of gut microbes unique to termites, and that the microbiota is consistent within a host termite species. To elucidate the functions of these unculturable symbionts, environmental genomics has recently been applied. Particularly, single-species-targeting metagenomics has provided a breakthrough in the understanding of symbiotic roles, such as the nitrogen fixation, of uncultured, individual microbial species. A combination of single-species-targeting metagenomics, conventional metagenomics, and metatranscriptomics should be a powerful tool to dissect this complex, multi-layered symbiotic system.
白蚁作为分解者在全球碳循环中发挥着关键作用。它们仅依靠死亡植物物质就能茁壮成长的能力主要归因于肠道微生物的活动，这些微生物包括原生生物、细菌和古生菌。尽管大多数肠道微生物尚未能培养，但分子分析已逐渐揭示出它们的多样性和共生机制。不依赖培养的研究表明，单个白蚁物种含有数百种白蚁特有的肠道微生物，并且宿主白蚁物种内的微生物群是一致的。为了阐明这些不可培养共生体的功能，环境基因组学最近已被应用。特别是，针对单一物种的宏基因组学在理解未培养的单个微生物物种的共生作用（如固氮作用）方面取得了突破。将针对单一物种的宏基因组学、传统宏基因组学和宏转录组学结合起来，应该是剖析这个复杂的、多层次共生系统的有力工具。
