Role of omics approaches in microbial bioremediation

Abstract

Bioremediation is an emerging technology that can clean-up contaminated environments in an effective and economically feasible way. However, gaps exist as the growth, and regulatory mechanisms operating in these microorganisms are not completely known. Earlier approaches in bioremediation included treatability via microbial culture but it has several drawbacks, which can be overcome by metagenomics approaches via studying and exploring uncultured microorganisms present in the environment at the contaminated site. Recent advances in omics technologies, however, are making it possible to understand microbial physiology and their metabolic functioning as well. Availability of genome sequences of most of the microorganisms involved in bioremediation and advancement in the omics approaches including transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics have led to much progress in the understanding of metabolic functioning at the level of microbial cell to that of the entire microbial population. It is expected that the omics tools will further help in understanding the response of microbial communities to the expanding list of contaminants and xenobiotics that would lead to successful bioremediation initiatives worldwide. The present chapter is a small effort to discuss the omics approaches in bioremediation. © 2021 Elsevier Inc.