Citrus is a major worldwide crop. In 2017, the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service estimated production would exceed 50 million metric tons, with 10 percent of that contributed by the United States. To defend this crop against Huanglongbing (a.k.a., citrus greening), an infectious disease destroying whole orchards, researchers have begun employing genomics to… [Read More]
How long have you collaborated with the JGI? We have been collaborating with JGI since 2015. We are supported by the JGI DNA Synthesis program. The DNA Synthesis team at JGI provides us with synthetic genes, which we then test in our laboratory for their function. Our project aims at characterizing a new class of… [Read More]
Metabolic functions of microbial communities vary during a geyser eruption. Deep underground, the earth beneath our feet is teeming with microbial life, the majority of which has yet to be characterized. Cut off from sunlight, these enigmatic organisms must obtain life-sustaining energy and carbon, which all living cells need, through other means. A pressing question… [Read More]
Got 12 Gb of free storage to download it all? To better understand how Earth’s vast and diverse microbial population helps regulate global nutrient cycles, it helps to understand how viruses infect microbes, and affect their functions and metabolic processes. Two years ago, even though the number of viruses is estimated to be at least… [Read More]
Genus-wide Aspergillus project highlights new functional genome annotation methods. Found in microbial communities around the world, Aspergillus fungi are pathogens, decomposers, and important sources of biotechnologically-important enzymes. Each Aspergillus species is known to contain more than 250 carbohydrate active enzymes (CAzymes), which break down plant cell walls and are of interest to Department of Energy… [Read More]
Retracing how the dry rot Serpula lacrymans adapted to a new ecological habitat. The Science By comparing genetic information from similar organisms, researchers have gained insights on why the dry rot (Serpula lacrymans) is so destructive in houses. A study involving six brown rot fungi reveals the genomic changes Serpula lacrymans has undergone in adapting… [Read More]
Much of the research in the field of plant functional genomics to date has relied on approaches based on single reference genomes. But by itself, a single reference genome does not capture the full genetic variability of a species. A pan-genome, the non-redundant union of all the sets of genes found in individuals of a… [Read More]
Catalog of candidate genes involved in plant-microbe relationships. As the global population rises, estimated to hit nearly 10 billion by 2050, so does the need to boost crop yields and produce enough plant material for both food and sustainable alternative fuels. To help improve crop breeding strategies and overcome challenges such as making plants more… [Read More]
How long have you collaborated with JGI? I started collaborating with JGI in the Fall of 2013 as part of a Facilities Integrating Collaborations for User Science (FICUS) award between JGI and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL). (Click here to learn more about her approved FICUS proposal.) We have been working with the JGI… [Read More]
A fungus relies on bacteria to regulate key components of its reproductive machinery The Science To better understand how beneficial organisms (symbionts) are transmitted between host generations, researchers investigated the role that bacteria living within a host (endosymbionts) have on fungal host reproduction, and the reproductive genes they regulate. The bacterial endosymbiont, Burkholderia, is recognized… [Read More]