title: Metagenomics for the discovery of pollutant degrading enzymes.
abstract: Organic pollutants, including xenobiotics, are often persistent and toxic organic compounds resulting from human activities and released in large amounts into terrestrial, fluvial and marine environments. However, some microbial species which are naturally exposed to these compounds in their own habitat are capable of degrading a large range of pollutants, especially poly-aromatic, halogenated and polyester molecules. These microbes constitute a huge reservoir of enzymes for the diagnosis of pollution and for bioremediation. Most are found in highly complex ecosystems like soils, activated sludge, compost or polluted water, and more than 99% have never been cultured. Meta-omic approaches are thus well suited to retrieve biocatalysts from these environmental samples. In this review, we report the latest advances in functional metagenomics aimed at the discovery of enzymes capable of acting on different kinds of polluting molecules.
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, INP, LISBP, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, F-31077 Toulouse, France; INRA, UMR792 Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés, F-31400 Toulouse, France; CNRS, UMR5504, F-31400 Toulouse, France. Electronic address: ufarte@insa-toulouse.fr.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ufarté
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, INP, LISBP, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, F-31077 Toulouse, France; INRA, UMR792 Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés, F-31400 Toulouse, France; CNRS, UMR5504, F-31400 Toulouse, France. Electronic address: laville@insa-toulouse.fr.
authors.forename: Élisabeth
authors.initials: É
authors.lastname: Laville
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, INP, LISBP, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, F-31077 Toulouse, France; INRA, UMR792 Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés, F-31400 Toulouse, France; CNRS, UMR5504, F-31400 Toulouse, France. Electronic address: duquesne@insa-toulouse.fr.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duquesne
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, INP, LISBP, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, F-31077 Toulouse, France; INRA, UMR792 Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés, F-31400 Toulouse, France; CNRS, UMR5504, F-31400 Toulouse, France. Electronic address: veronese@insa-toulouse.fr.
authors.forename: Gabrielle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Potocki-Veronese
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D017753:Ecosystem; D004798:Enzymes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D054892:Metagenome / Q000235:genetics*; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D015262:Xenobiotics / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D012722:Sewage; D015262:Xenobiotics
keywords: Enzyme discovery; Metagenomics; Pollutants; Screening