Mass DNA sequencing has led to a better knowledge of marine
micro-organisms in their environment and helps to discover new genes of
interests. However, it is only part of the answer for biotech applications.
One litre of sea water contains about one billion bacteria.
This represents at least one thousand species, in addition to the single-cell
organisms different from bacteria—referred to as protists—which make up
plankton, according to Daniel Vaulot, a researcher at the Station biologique de
Roscoff, located in the Brittany region of France. Studying each of these
organisms by mass-sequencing their genome could lead up to discover new
species. It could also help study species potentially interesting for
fundamental research on the origins of life and climate change, or for
applications in the industry. Raising the awareness of the possibilities of
marine genomics among the wider research and industry communities is precisely
what the EU-funded Marine Genomics for Users (MG4U) project is designed to do.
Its coordinator, Bernard Kloareg who is the director the Roscoff station, is
himself an advocate of marine genomics.