Hot springs have tremendous significance due to their divulging physiochemical features. In the recent past, metagenomics has emerged as a unique methodology to explore microbiota as well as new biocatalysts possessing advantageous biochemical properties from hot springs. In the present study, metagenomics has been employed for microbial diversity exploration and identification of genes involved in various metabolic pathways among two hot springs, Manikaran and Tatapani, located in Himachal Pradesh, India. Taxonomic analysis of both metagenomes revealed the dominance of the Proteobacteria phylum. Genomic signatures of other bacterial phyla such as Chloroflexi, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Planctomycetes, and Firmicutes were also found in significant abundance in both the metagenomes. The abundance of microorganisms belonging to genera, especially Nitrospira, Thauera, Meiothermus, Thiobacillus, Massilia, and Anaerolinea, was reported to be prevalent in the hot springs. A significant amount of metagenomic data remained taxonomically unclassified, which indeed emphasizes the scientific importance of these thermoaquatic niches. The functional potential analysis of both metagenomes revealed pathways related to carbohydrate metabolism, followed by amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, genetic information processing, metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, membrane transporter, and signal transduction. Exploration of biomass-modifying biocatalysts enumerated the presence of glycoside hydrolases, glycosyl transferases, polysaccharide lyases, and carbohydrate esterases in the metagenomic data. Together, these findings offer an in-depth understanding of the microbial inhabitants in North-Western Himalayan hot springs and their underlying potential for various biotechnological and industrial applications.

温泉因其显着的理化特征而具有巨大的意义。近年来，宏基因组学已成为探索微生物群以及具有温泉有利生化特性的新型生物催化剂的独特方法。在本研究中，宏基因组学已被用于位于印度喜马偕尔邦的马尼卡兰和塔塔帕尼两个温泉的微生物多样性探索和各种代谢途径相关基因的鉴定。两个宏基因组的分类学分析揭示了变形菌门的优势。在这两个宏基因组中也发现了大量其他细菌门的基因组特征，例如绿屈菌门、放线菌门、拟杆菌门、蓝细菌门、浮霉菌门和厚壁菌门。据报道，温泉中存在丰富的微生物属，特别是Nitrospira、Thauera、Meiothermus、Thiobacillus、Massilia和Anaerolinea。大量宏基因组数据在分类学上仍未分类，这确实强调了这些温水生态位的科学重要性。两个宏基因组的功能电位分析揭示了与碳水化合物代谢相关的途径，其次是氨基酸代谢、能量代谢、遗传信息处理、辅因子和维生素代谢、膜转运蛋白和信号转导。对生物质改性生物催化剂的探索列举了宏基因组数据中糖苷水解酶、糖基转移酶、多糖裂解酶和碳水化合物酯酶的存在。总之，这些发现使人们能够深入了解喜马拉雅山西北部温泉中的微生物及其在各种生物技术和工业应用中的潜在潜力。