Innovations to culturing the uncultured microbial majority

• Published in: Nature reviews. Microbiology Vol. 19; no. 4; pp. 225 - 240
• Main Authors: Lewis, William H., Tahon, Guillaume, Geesink, Patricia, Sousa, Diana Z., Ettema, Thijs J. G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.04.2021; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/326/171; 631/326/2565/2134; 631/326/26/2527; 631/326/41/1969; 631/326/41/2537; Archaea; Archaea - growth & development; Archaea - isolation & purification; Bacteria; Bacteria - growth & development; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Bacteriological Techniques - methods; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell culture; Cultivation; Culture Media; Genomes; Infectious Diseases; Life Sciences; Medical Microbiology; Microbial genetics; Microbiological research; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Parasitology; Review Article; Reviews; Virology; Netherlands
• ISSN: 1740-1526; 1740-1534
• DOI: 10.1038/s41579-020-00458-8

Despite the surge of microbial genome data, experimental testing is important to confirm inferences about the cell biology, ecological roles and evolution of microorganisms. As the majority of archaeal and bacterial diversity remains uncultured and poorly characterized, culturing is a priority. The growing interest in and need for efficient cultivation strategies has led to many rapid methodological and technological advances. In this Review, we discuss common barriers that can hamper the isolation and culturing of novel microorganisms and review emerging, innovative methods for targeted or high-throughput cultivation. We also highlight recent examples of successful cultivation of novel archaea and bacteria, and suggest key microorganisms for future cultivation attempts. Culturing microorganisms is a priority to complement the flood of genomic data illuminating archaeal and bacterial diversity. In this Review, Ettema and colleagues highlight recent successes in culturing elusive lineages, innovative methods and key targets for future cultivation.