Prospection for genes and new catalysts in the genomes of uncultured microorganisms.

Microorganisms play a critical role in global biogeochemical cycling, as well as an essential role in the transformation of environmental pollutants. Understanding the indigenous microbial communities can be useful when designing a bioremediation system or improving the recovery of metals from ores. I will discuss the pros and cons of culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches ("Omics" methods), and give examples of studies conducted by our group towards the discovery of new genes and microorganisms of interest in bioremediation and bioleaching systems.