Use Case 1: Characterizing the Root Microbiome of a specific crop variety.
- Isolating bacteria from root samples, culturing in several conditions
- Bacterial isolates are purified and undergo dereplication.
Identification on species level is then performed using MALDI-TOF MS
- Selected strains are grown in defined media containing specific substrates to stimulate the production of target enzymes.
- The resulting excretome is analyzed to reveal the functional traits of each strain.
Strains of interest can be deposited in NKUA’s microbial collection, preserving them for future research or biotechnological use.
The use case outlines a scientific experimental workflow designed to characterize the root microbiome of a specific crop variety, composed of three sequentially integrated services:
1. Culturomics for Microbial Isolation and Identification at BBCM-UGENT:
– Bacteria are isolated from root samples and cultured under various conditions.
– The bacterial isolates are purified and undergo dereplication to remove redundancies. Identification at the species level is then performed using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.
2. Functional Excretome Analysis at NKUA:
– Selected bacterial strains are cultivated in defined media containing specific substrates to stimulate the production of target enzymes.
– The resulting excretome is analyzed to determine the functional characteristics of each bacterial strain.
3. Strain Deposit at NKUA:
– Strains identified as valuable or of particular interest are deposited into NKUA’s microbial collection, preserving them for future research or biotechnological applications.
This use case demonstrates how multiple scientific services can be sequentially combined to achieve specific research objectives.
