DOE Joint Genome Institute

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JGI@25

JGI’s 25th Anniversary

The year 2022 marks the JGI’s 25th anniversary. We revisited a number of notable achievements that showcase our collaborations and capabilities to enable great science that will help solve energy and environmental challenges. 

The JGI mural references dozens of iconic JGI contributions to advancing the frontiers of environmental and energy genomics. Commissioned for the JGI’s 25th anniversary and dedicated at the 2022 Annual Meeting, the two-story mural at the Integrative Genomics Building was painted by Berkeley-based artist Nigel Sussman.

Nigel Sussman smiles as he stands in front of the JGI 25th anniversary mural at the IGB Behind the JGI Mural

Berkeley-based muralist Nigel Sussman on creating the JGI’s 25th anniversary mural.

 Nigel Sussman painting the JGI mural in timelapse footage Timelapse: Painting the Mural

Footage of Nigel Sussman painting the JGI mural at the Integrative Genomics Building.

Notable stories from the past 25 years

 

JGI contributions detailed in DOE Human Genome Project poster The Human Genome Project, or the JGI’s Origin Story

In 1997, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) united the people and resources from three national labs to work on the Human Genome Project. The JGI contributed ~12% of the total human genome.

  A man stands at a podium with a mural in the background

Historical perspectives on JGI’s 25 years 

At the 2022 JGI Annual Meeting, speakers shed light on how the JGI was established, all that it has contributed, and what they’re excited about in the JGI’s future.
A plantation of poplar trees. (David Gilbert) Poplar, The Bioenergy Tree

In 2006, JGI collaborated on the first tree genome, Populus trichocarpa. The genome offers exciting opportunities beyond just a bioenergy feedstock crop.

Jennifer Doudna Pioneering Metagenomics Research Paves Path for Nobel

A conversation on extremophiles elements with a longtime JGI collaborator piqued the interest of  Jennifer Doudna, leading to her 2020 Nobel Prize for co-developing CRISPR-Cas9  technology.
Laccaria bicolor Roots of a Mutualist Relationship

The genome sequence of Laccaria bicolor, a forest fungus in symbiosis with poplar, was published in 2008. Today ~200 mycorrhizal fungal genomes are publicly available on the fungal portal MycoCosm.

 Artistic rendering of a microbial genome layered over a dark forest. (Composition by Zosia Rostomian/Berkeley Lab)

A Single Cell, Myriad Microbial Discoveries

Single cell genomics offers a way for researchers to study the planet’s microbial diversity, much of which remains unknown and uncultured.
An assortment of sorghum varieties. (Roy Kaltschmidt, LBNL) Studying Sorghum’s Survival Skills

Since publishing the sorghum reference genome, the JGI continues collaborating to better understand its toughness and energy storage.

 The oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill as seen on April 29, 2010. (NASA Earth Observatory image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the University of Wisconsin’s Space Science and Engineering Center MODIS Direct Broadcast system) Solving the Mystery of the Missing Oil

Working with Berkeley Lab  researchers, the JGI’s single cell genomics and metagenomics capabilities were harnessed for a systems biology approach to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Chlamydomonas is an insightful little alga that holds clues to leveraging other organisms for sustainable biofuel production. [Image: MPI-CBG, Dresden]

The Little Alga That Could

The reference Chlamydomonas genome is cited in roughly 10% of all since-released publications on green algae.

 The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) includes pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, navy beans and more. (Image Credit: TK) Building a Better Bean

The common bean genome has fueled further research into disease tolerance in crops, stressors and  nitrogen fixation.
An image of Robert Hungate set against a blue background with white bacteria images Fueling Investigation into Methane-Making Microbes

Supporting studies involving methane-making microbes in ruminants to drive solutions for stemming methane-emissions.

 A white bowl of beige soybeans is set against a black background. On top of the individual beans is a pea pod. Strengthening Soybean

Aside from supporting work on the soybean plant, the JGI has also helped researchers understand a fungus threatening these crops.

 
JGI25 intern alumni video screencap

Stories from Intern Alumni 

Former JGI interns share how these experiences have influenced their career journeys.

Cow Rumen and the Early Days of Metagenomics 

A 2011 Science paper has led to a hands-on undergraduate research course at four  universities.
A brown goat with small white horns stands on top of a wooden platform. Following Fungi that Pry Apart Plant Polymers

Gut fungi from livestock may be able to provide tools beyond biomass breakdown, extending into biochemical production.

 Mapping Switchgrass Traits with Common Gardens

Long-term research investments in switchgrass genomics are helping the grasses become a key player in biomass-based fuels.
Team Science to Build Communities around Data

Researchers are forming communities to generate high quality genomes with the JGI.

 Artist rendering of genome standards being applied to deciphering the extensive diversity of viruses. (Illustration by Leah Pantea) Expanding Metagenomics to Capture Viral Diversity

The JGI has leveraged their work as metagenomics pioneers  to boost understanding of environmental viruses.
Tracking & Subduing the Plague of California’s Oak Woodlands

Overseeing engagement activities to control the spread of sudden oak death.