Let microorganisms do the talking, let us talk more about microorganisms

Fungal Biology and Biotechnology, Jul 2016

Microorganisms are of uttermost importance, yet in the eyes of the general public they are often associated with dirt and diseases. At the same time, microbiologists have access to and comprehensive knowledge of just a tiny minority of the microbial diversity existing in nature. In this commentary, we present these issues of public misconception and scientific limitations and their possible consequences, and propose ways to overcome them. A particular interest is directed toward the secondary metabolism of filamentous fungi as well as novel outreach activities, including so-called “science slams” and interactions between the arts and the sciences, to raise awareness about the relevance of microorganisms.

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Let microorganisms do the talking, let us talk more about microorganisms

Nai et al. Fungal Biol Biotechnol Let microorganisms do the talking, let us talk more about microorganisms Corrado Nai 0 2 Boris Magrini 1 Julia Offe 3 0 Department Applied and Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Biotechnology, Technical University of Berlin , Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25, 13355 Berlin , Germany 1 Zurich , Switzerland 2 Federation of the European Microbiological Societies (FEMS) , Delftechpark 37a, 2628 XJ Delft , The Netherlands 3 Hamburg , Germany Microorganisms are of uttermost importance, yet in the eyes of the general public they are often associated with dirt and diseases. At the same time, microbiologists have access to and comprehensive knowledge of just a tiny minority of the microbial diversity existing in nature. In this commentary, we present these issues of public misconception and scientific limitations and their possible consequences, and propose ways to overcome them. A particular interest is directed toward the secondary metabolism of filamentous fungi as well as novel outreach activities, including socalled “science slams” and interactions between the arts and the sciences, to raise awareness about the relevance of microorganisms. Microorganisms; Antibiotics crisis; Microbial secondary metabolism; Filamentous fungi; Co-cultivation assays; Science outreach; Science slams; “Art & science” - You’ve got to respect microbes. Not because “they are the only culture some people have,” as the comedian Steven Wright puts it. Neither are we talking about a reverential awe, fuelled by recurrent news of killer bugs and pandemic threats. Yes, microbes can be dangerous and can spread diseases easily around the globe. We are occasionally unable to tame them, as recent outbreaks of Ebola or Zika viruses [ 1, 2 ] as well as of devastating plant pathogens testify [3]. And despite them being considered the simplest life form on earth, we still don’t know microbes as well as we need to. But in this lies also the beauty of them: in many regards, microorganisms are nature’s treasure trove awaiting to be opened. The respect we are referring to is related to a fascination for microbes. Studies on microorganisms paved the way for crucial advances in major pillars of our modern society as medicine, human welfare [ 4–8 ], industry [ 9–11 ] and research [ 12, 13 ]. Some environmental species can break down or assimilate toxic compounds or pollutants and are useful in bioremediation [ 14, 15 ]. Microorganisms like Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Neurospora crassa have been the workhorses of molecular biology and playgrounds for scientific and technological breakthroughs [ 13, 16, 17 ]; recent discoveries on the “immune system” of streptococci [ 18 ] are currently used as CRISPR/Cas technology to edit genomes across all domains of life, including human zygotes [ 19 ] and embryos [ 20 ], and fuelling an ongoing scientific revolution [ 21, 22 ]. And yet, if at the basis of respect lies understanding, there are still lacunae to overcome—as much for the general public as for biologists or scientists themselves. Microbiologists: the hipsters among scientists Scientists know and have access to only an estimated 1 % of microbial diversity, as predicted by molecular methods and metagenomics analyses [ 23 ]; the rest is referred to as the “microbial dark matter” [ 24–26 ]. The main reason is the somehow limited palette of methods at microbiologists’ hand. Since Robert Koch first grew microbial colonies on a potato slice in the late nineteenth century—and soon after on gelatinous, homogeneous media in dishes named after his assistant Julius Petri  (Fig.  1)—[ 27 ] not much has really changed. Microbiologists still aim for pure cultures of microbes on solid or in liquid media as first step to further analyses, nolens volens. They grew microbes before it was cool, and do it today (almost) exactly alike. These culture-dependent methods are microbiology’s double-edged sword. When they succeed in growing a new strain and in studying it in the laboratory, microbiologists alienate it from its natural habitat: in nature, microbes are highly promiscuous and most likely never grow axenically and in homogeneous substrata. To give a rough idea, a gram of soil harbours an estimate of 109 microbial cells and 1000 different species [ 28, 29 ]. The microbial diversity on us (e.g. the skin) and within our body (e.g. the gut) is similarly stunning: microorganisms outnumber our own cells (by a factor of up to ten according to some estimate [ 30–32 ]), so that humans are often referred as “superorganisms”. The positive effect of the human microbiome for the health of animals and plants is increasingly acknowledged, even if still poorly understood [ 33–35 ]. Similarly, the microbial community context should no longer be overlooked when investigating microbial pathogenesis, a goal that could be achieved by revisiting the classical Koch’s postulates [36]. Overcoming microbiologists’ c (...truncated)


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Corrado Nai, Boris Magrini, Julia Offe. Let microorganisms do the talking, let us talk more about microorganisms, Fungal Biology and Biotechnology, 2016, pp. 5, Volume 3, Issue 1, DOI: 10.1186/s40694-016-0023-9