Identification of factors which can influence the natural attenuation process with available microbial genetic capacities can support the bioremediation which has been viewed as the safest procedure to combat with anthropogenic compounds in ecosystems. With the advent of molecular techniques, assimilatory capacity of an ecosystem can be defined with changing community dynamics, and if required, the essential genetic potential can be met through bioaugmentation. At the same time, intensification of microbial processes with nutrient balancing, expressing and enhancing the degradative capacities, could reduce the time frame of restoration of the ecosystem. The new concept of ecosystems biology has added greatly to conceptualize the networking of the evolving microbiota of the niche that helps in effective application of bioremediation tools to manage pollutants as additional carbon source.

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Loktak, one of the largest freshwater lakes of India, is known for floating islands (Phumdi), being made up of a heterogeneous biomass of vegetation and soil. This ecological site represents an exclusive environmental habitat wherein the rhizospheric microbial community of Phumdi plays a key role in biogeochemical cycling of nutrients. A culture-independent whole genome shotgun sequencing based metagenomic approach was employed to unravel the composition of the microbial community and its corresponding functional potential at this environmental habitat. Proteobacteria (51%) was found to be the most dominant bacterial phylum followed by Acidobacteria (10%), Actinobacteria (9%) and Bacteroidetes (7%). Furthermore, Loktak metagenome data were compared with available metagenomes from four other aquatic habitats, varying from pristine to highly polluted eutrophic habitats. The comparative metagenomics approach aided by statistical analysis revealed that Candidatus Solibacter, Bradyrhizobium, Candidatus Koribacter, Pedosphaera, Methylobacterium, Anaeromyxobacter, Sorangium, Opitutus and Acidobacterium genera are selectively dominant at this habitat. Correspondingly, 12 different functional categories were found to be exclusively prevalent at Phumdi compared to other freshwater habitats. These differential features have been attributed to the unique habitat at Phumdi and correlated to the phenomenon of bioremediation at Loktak Lake.

The whole genome of a pigment-producing isolate from a lake in northern India, Pseudogulbenkiania ferrooxidans strain EGD-HP2, has been sequenced to study the spectrum of biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. The genome annotation data revealed an operon for violacein, which showed homology with the reported operon of a Chromobacterium sp., and also a quinone cofactor.

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We report the annotated genome sequence of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolate from the cerebrospinal fluid of a tuberculous meningitis patient admitted to the Central India Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur, India.

Events from the past growth conditions influence the course of physiology, and it gets reflected in the present cell behaviour. During this process, cells acquire a metabolic option which carries signature of the past, and it dictates the performance in the present situation. Study uses Escherichia coli as a sample organism wherein three scenarios of preceding growth conditions were created with varying nutritional status and pre-treatment strategies. This exercise leads to different seed cultures, which were subjected to growth using the four different substrates. The different seed culture behaviours were analysed by observing the respirometric rate of the seed culture and were followed by growth dynamics with different substrates. These two data sets were independently analysed by three-way ANOVA to arrive at strategic coupling of programming conditions to relate the available (respirometric rates) and executable physiology (growth kinetics).