?Prof Thulani Makhalanyane from the Department of Microbiology and the School for Data Sciences and Computational Thinking at Stellenbosch 肆客足球 delivered his inaugural lecture on Tuesday 8 October. The title of his lecture was “Unveiling the hidden world within us: What environmental microbiomes can teach us about ourselves".
Makhalanyane spoke to the Corporate Communication and Marketing Division about the important role that microbial communities (communities of bacteria, single-celled microorganisms, fungi and viruses that live together in a shared environment) play in ecosystems and human health.
Tell us more about your research and why you became interested in this specific field.
I was trained as a microbiologist and my expertise is in microbial ecology (the study of how microorganisms interact with each other and their environment). I am interested in understanding how environmental factors influence the diversity and function of microorganisms in humans, animals and the environment. I have always been curious about biology in general and gravitated to microbiology for several reasons.
How would you describe the relevance of your work?
A good framework for understanding the importance of our work is the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These aspirational goals outline a set of priorities that are crucial for a more prosperous planet and higher quality of life for humanity. Our work is relevant to each of these 17 goals. For example, a large part of our work focuses on SDG 14, “Life Below Water". Our studies in the Southern Ocean, an important sink for anthropogenic (human-made) CO2, aims to investigate the diversity and functional attributes of microbial communities (communities of microorganisms that live together in a shared environment). We would like to understand how climate change will impact this environment and the ecosystem services we derive from the Southern Ocean.
You've done a lot of research on microbiomes. What role do they play in ecosystems and human health?
If it wasn't for the first photosynthetic cyanobacteria (a type of bacteria that can produce their own food using sunlight), we literally would not be here. Without microbiomes in the rhizosphere (narrow zone of soil that surrounds and is influenced by plant roots), plants would not be able to photosynthesise. In humans, microbes can break down several compounds in food which our bodies are not able to process. Regardless of the ecosystem you look at, microbial communities play important roles.
What can environmental microbiomes teach us about ourselves?
There are several lessons from environmental microbiomes. Firstly, our understanding of the factors that regulate microbiomes is mostly derived from environmental microbiomes. We know, for instance, that these communities vary considerably in space and time. We also know, based on studies in the environment, that microbial communities undergo variation due to the ability to horizontally acquire genes from their neighbours. This has implications for the roles that these microbes may fulfil. Studies on environmental microbiomes provide excellent models with sufficiently wide variability (in terms of temperature, pH, etc.), which allows us to get a better sense of the factors that influence microbial communities. If we know what factors influence the variability of microbes, we can better understand how some diets may affect microbial diversity and therefore human health.
Based on your research, why is it important to explore the unique and diverse microbiomes found in African populations?
Most of the studies on microbiomes have focused on people in the global North. We wrote a Comment last year where we showed the current knowledge gap, which is rather substantial. Africa is very diverse in terms of its ecosystems, animals and people. If we want to arrive at a point where we can tailor-make drugs (because we know that how we metabolise drugs is related to our diets), we must know our diversity. This is an important starting point if we are to arrive at a point of discussing the potential of precision medicine. There is also a tremendous potential for drug discovery by surveying underexplored African environments. We can apply the latest tools to discover novel compounds that may have important applications in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and health.
You've spent many years in the challenging environment of higher education. What keeps you motivated when things get tough?
I have the best job in the world. The fact that I am an environmental microbiologist means that I get to travel to some of the most exciting locations (e.g. Antarctica). I get to work with people from all over the world and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't learn something new. Although some parts of the job are mundane (writing reports, etc.), it's still worthwhile.
You've already received numerous awards for your research. What drives you?
I think several things really drive me. At the core, I am curious about life. As a scientist, the quest for discovery drives me, there are so many questions that have not been explored that are just waiting... I am also excited because I get to work at a university. There is nothing more exciting than working with an engaged and motivated student. That, and the quest for the next paper, really keeps me going.
What aspects of your work do you enjoy the most?
All aspects of my work are exciting. I love travelling, reading about the latest developments in my field, and working with students and postdoctoral fellows. I find our work rewarding and I am super excited about starting to have more translational aspects to our studies.
Tell us something exciting about yourself that people would not expect.
This is a hard one to answer. I think I probably share too much on social media, so I don't think there is a lot unknown. But I am a gamer and enjoy having some downtime on my PlayStation (that my eldest daughter thinks belongs to her).
How do you spend your free time?
I love being outdoors and I hike every free weekend when the weather allows. ?
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