Thousands of new species and millions of new genes
19th May 2009
The
Sorcerer II Expedition arrives in Plymouth UK this week at the
start of the European leg of a voyage that will spend two years in
European waters discovering new microorganisms that could have huge
benefit to humankind.
Likened to that other famous research venture, which embarked from
Plymouth 178 years ago – The Voyage of The Beagle that carried
Charles Darwin and eventually led to the formulation of the Theory
of Evolution – the Sorcerer II Expedition will be searching for new
microorganisms with the hope of gaining a far greater understanding
of how the ocean’s ecosystems function. But unlike Darwin who was
restricted to big animals like, iguanas, tortoises and birds, it is
these unseen microbes that form the most diverse life on Planet
Earth which are Sorcerer II’s targets.
There are an estimated 1.7 million animals and plants that have
been named by scientists, of these only about 6000 are
microbes.
The Sorcerer II Expedition is led by J. Craig Venter, Ph.D.,
founder and president of the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI). He
and his team have already identified thousands of new organisms and
more than 20 million new genes from their first research voyage in
which the Sorcerer II circumnavigated the globe sampling the
microbial diversity in the world’s waters. They have no doubt there
as many or more in the waters they will be sampling; current
estimates suggest there may be at least 10 million and as many as
100 million organisms yet to be discovered. It is not surprising
that these have been overlooked as they are amongst the tiniest
living things on Earth – a single mouthful of seawater is likely to
contain billions of microbes. Using relatively simple filtering
techniques JCVI scientists ensure that, small as they may be, the
microbes can be captured analysed and catalogued, all done by
sequencing the unique DNA of these tiny inhabitants of the
oceans.
The importance of such microbes is huge beyond their size. We
know quite a bit about how larger animals: the worms, snails, fish
and whales fit together in ocean ecosystems but when it comes to
the viruses and bacteria we are only just beginning to figure out
how important they are and how they work – it is a whole new world
for marine researchers. While the basic science discoveries of the
Sorcerer II research cruises are of vital importance to the
scientific community, there are also opportunities for the
discovery of possible new sources of biofuels to drive economies
and cut carbon dioxide emissions so reducing the affects of climate
change. Other groups are looking to these data as potential sources
of new pharmaceuticals and novel foodstuffs to address world
shortages. Craig Venter’s Sorcerer II Expedition continues to be of
massive potential benefit to humankind.
Sorcerer II is a 95 foot sailing vessel that doubles as a
floating laboratory, self contained and well supplied with the
necessary equipment to ensure the samples are collected in the most
efficient way. The DNA of the microbes is captured on the various
sized filters used in the sampling procedure. These filters are
frozen and then shipped back to the JCVI laboratories in Maryland
and California where the DNA is sequenced and analyzed by the
scientists there.
During her stay in Plymouth the Sorcerer II team will be
working closely with Plymouth Marine Laboratory’s world class
scientists to ensure that a wide range of samples and supporting
readings are taken. Dr Jack Gilbert who leads the Plymouth group
welcomes the collaboration: “The Sorcerer II team lead the world in
this kind of research and we are thrilled to be working with them.
We will be carrying out parallel sampling and between us will
generate a highly unique set of data; it’s another major step
towards unravelling the oceans greatest secrets.” Sorcerer II and
PML’s RV Plymouth Quest will carry out two, day long, sampling
cruises during the visit, Sorcerer II will then continue onwards to
the Baltic, Black and Mediterranean Seas, taking a 200 to 400 litre
water sample every 200 miles.
Dr. Venter added, “We are pleased to be here in Plymouth not
only to be working with the renowned scientists at Plymouth Marine
Laboratory but also because of the unique seafaring history of this
city, most especially as the starting point of Darwin’s Voyage of
the Beagle. We look forward to an ongoing scientific collaboration
with Jack Gilbert and the scientists at PML in which we’ll look to
integrate our gene-based sampling approaches with their long-term,
in-depth analysis of the water surrounding the UK.”