Project Title
What's in the Air? An Aero-Metagenomics Survey of Selected Metabolic Pathways.
Authors and Affiliations
| Name | Matriculation Number | E-Mail Contact | Affiliation |
| Eng Pei Woon | U042488J | u0402488@nus.edu.sg | Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore |
| Heng Yee Zhe | U041984J | u0401984@nus.edu.sg | |
| Ho Xiao Wei | U042720J | u0402720@nus.edu.sg | |
| Hong Tien En, Eugenia | U042858M | u0402858@nus.edu.sg | |
| Ivan Low Cherh Chiet | U041735U | u0401735@nus.edu.sg | |
| Sitti Aishah Bte Yusof | U042615X | u0402615@nus.edu.sg |
Abstract
Recent advances in metagenomics have greatly accelerated the human understanding of minute organisms that are impossible to culture under labarotary conditions. This project apply the techniques of metagenomics to identify the organisms that are floating from the air. Using a KEGG or COG number as a starting point, aerogenes were retrieved and, using BLAST, compared with other known genes. A multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree analysis were carried out to identify the lineage of the aerogene's source organism. It was found that certain genes tend to reoccur in the analysis and may be arised from the inherent conditions of the atmosphere in which organisms try to adapt to. Also, the organism lineage of an aerogene tends to give a clue to the atmosphere quality as well. However, due to the time and technology constraint, some of the more problematic issues, such as the exact identity of an aerogene's source, cannot be solved in the course of this project.