Exploration of Marine Microorganisms for Sustainable Biotechnology

The vast realm of the oceans holds tremendous potential for biotechnological research. Within this domain, marine microbial communities stand out as a promising source of unique biomolecules and enzymes. Sustainable utilization of these resources for biotechnological purposes has gained rapid momentum, accompanied by a set of complex challenges and exciting prospects. The vastness of the ocean itself presents a significant challenge when it comes to the sustainable exploration of marine microbial resources. Overcoming logistical and technical hurdles in sampling and analysis is a continuous endeavour. Compounding the issue, many marine microbes resist cultivation in a laboratory setting, posing difficulties in unravelling their metabolic processes and scaling up the production of their bioactive compounds. Achieving sustainability in the utilization of these resources without detrimental effects on the marine ecosystem is another substantial challenge. However, these challenges are overshadowed by the immense promise that marine microbial resources hold for biotechnological applications. Diverse marine habitats and intricate ecological interactions between microorganisms and other marine life offer unparalleled opportunities for discovering novel biomolecules and enzymes that are not found on land. The potential applications of these compounds span various fields, encompassing medicine, biotechnology, food, and cosmetics.

This research topic aims to explore the sustainable biotechnological potential of marine microorganisms. The main objectives include developing sustainable culture methods for both culturable and unculturable marine microbes, utilizing culture-independent techniques to tap into the potential of marine microbial gene clusters, and expanding our understanding of marine microbial diversity. Additionally, the research seeks to identify and characterize novel biosynthetic pathways and secondary metabolites, evaluate the potential medical and cosmetic uses of marine-derived compounds, and develop biotechnological processes for large-scale production. Conducting life cycle assessments to gauge the environmental impact and sustainability of these processes is also a key goal.

To gather further insights into the sustainable biotechnological potential of marine microorganisms, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Development of sustainable culture methods for marine microbes, whether they are culturable or unculturable.
- Utilization of culture-independent techniques, like PCR amplification and functional or sequence-based screening of metagenomic DNA libraries, to tap into the potential of microbes and their distinct gene clusters, and subsequently, to obtain valuable products through cultivation methods.
- Expanding our comprehension of marine microbial diversity, as well as the associated compounds and enzymes.
- Identification and characterization of novel biosynthetic pathways and secondary metabolites produced by marine microbial communities.
- Evaluation of potential medical and cosmetic uses for compounds and enzymes derived from marine microorganisms.
- Development of biotechnological processes to sustainably produce marine microbial-derived compounds and enzymes on a large scale.
- Conducting life cycle assessments to gauge the environmental impact and sustainability of biotechnological processes using marine microbial resources.

Please note that pure in silico studies without mechanistic insights and a demonstrable hypothesis are not within the scope of the Microbiotechnology section and will not be accepted.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: biotechnology, sustainability, microbial community, PCR amplification, gene clusters, unculturable microbes, metabolites, enzymes, marine microorganisms

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.