Kelly Wrighton, Colorado State University
Triggering Morel Fruiting
Characterizing Communities: JGI Announces Latest CSP Portfolio
Microbes and Viruses Around Hydrothermal Systems
Microbes living at hydrothermal vents act as important “filters” for compounds like sulfur, iron, and managanese that emerge from deep below the seafloor. [Read More]
Mutant Population Resources in Panicum hallii
A central goal of the DOE Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program and current JGI sequencing efforts is to improve our understanding of candidate plant species to advance their use as bioenergy feedstocks. Juenger and colleagues have developed mutant population resources in Panicum hallii to help in the discovery of new genes and pathways important for feedstocks in forward screens, as well as a valuable testing platform for reverse genetic studies of known genes. These knowledge will facilitate our ability to manipulate and improve switchgrass for feedstock production. [Read More]
Gene Atlas of a Nitrogen-Fixing Legume Symbiont
Most Abundant Diatom Genus in the World’s Ocean
Chaetoceros is the most abundant and cosmopolitan diatom genus in the world’s ocean, so these genomes will enable population genetics studies and allow exploration of the genetic and epigenetic contributions to species adaptation and evolution. [Read More]
How Beneficial Fungi Regulate Effector Gene Expression
In this study, we will perform a fine-graded comparative analysis of transcription factor activities and functions in relation to beneficial fungal-associations with model plant hosts and measure how outcomes are altered by encounters with pathogenic fungi and selected root-associated bacteria. Improved knowledge of fungal gene regulation during confrontation with other microbes and in different plant hosts will help engineering more resilient fungal strains with enhanced root colonization and growth promotion capacities and provide fresh leads to plant-protection strategies. [Read More]
Virus-Host Interactions in Model Systems
Microbes and their viruses are recently found to be profoundly impacting in virtually any ecosystem studied – from the oceans and soils to humans and bioreactors. While our knowledge of viral diversity is growing, we often observe genomes without knowing which host cell the virus infects. This proposal seeks to leverage ecosystem modeling and high-resolution time series datasets to scalably identify which viruses infect which hosts in experimental model systems and complex communities. Should it be successful, the new analytic will be powerful context for studying viruses in any ecosystem. [Read More]