One Day One Genome Initiative

20.11.2024

One Day One Genome Initiative

Why in the news?            

          The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC) introduced the 'One Day One Genome' initiative to showcase the enormous microbial potential of India.

About One Day One Genome Initiative:

• It will highlight the unique bacterial species found in our country and emphasize their critical roles in environment, agriculture and human health.
• This initiative is coordinated by Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (BRIC-NIBMG) an institute of the Department of Biotechnology.
• This initiative aims to release a fully annotated bacteriological genome isolated in the country freely available to the public.
• This will be complemented with a detailed graphical summary, infographics and genome assembly/annotation details.
• These documents will thus give an idea about the scientific and industrial use of these microbes.
• Consequently, microbial genomics data will become more accessible to the general public, scientific researchers and thereby stimulate discussions; innovations directly benefit the entire community and ecosystem.

Role of microorganisms:

• These are crucial for our ecosystem. They play an important role in all biogeochemical cycles, soil formation, mineral purification, degradation of organic wastes and toxic pollutants along with methane production.
• Cumulatively they help to maintain the homeostasis in our planet.
• In agriculture, they help in nutrient cycling, nitrogen fixation, maintaining soil fertility, controlling pests and weeds and stress responses.
• These are symbiotically associated with plants and help them in nutrient and water uptake.
• There are many more microbial cells than the number of human cells in a human body. They are essential for our digestion, immunity and even mental health.
• All infectious diseases are mainly caused by pathogenic microorganisms. On the other hand, non-pathogenic microorganisms are indispensable for our defense against infectious diseases.

                                                                 Source: PIB

Consider the following statements regarding the 'One Day One Genome' Initiative:

1. It will highlight the unique bacterial species found in India and emphasize their critical roles in the environment.

2. It is coordinated by the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A.1 only

B.2 only

C.Both 1 and 2

D.Neither 1 nor 2

Answer C