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Analysis of Lake Washington Microbes Shows the Power of Metagenomic Approaches

WALNUT CREEK, CA—Today’s powerful sequencing machines can rapidly read the genomes of entire communities of microbes, but the challenge is to extract meaningful information from the jumbled reams of data. In a paper appearing in Nature Biotechnology August 17, a collaboration headed by researchers at the University of Washington and the U.S. Department of Energy… [Read More]

DOE JGI Director Eddy Rubin Highlights the Genomics of Plant-based Biofuels in the Journal Nature

WALNUT CREEK, CA—Genomics is accelerating improvements for converting plant biomass into biofuel—as an alternative to fossil fuel for the nation’s transportation needs, reports Eddy Rubin, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), in the August 14 edition of the journal Nature. In “Genomics of cellulosic biofuels,” Rubin lays out a… [Read More]

Pine Tree, Boat-Boring Bivalve “Bugs”, Duck Weed, Oil-Producing Microalgae, Stinkbird Gut, 40 Others Top DOE Joint Genome Institute 2009 Genome Sequencing Targets

WALNUT CREEK, CA—In the continuing effort to tap the vast, unexplored reaches of the earth’s microbial and plant domains for bioenergy and environmental applications, the DOE Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has announced its latest portfolio of DNA sequencing projects that it will undertake in the coming year. The 44 projects, culled from nearly 150… [Read More]

Lean and Mean Biomass-Degrading Fungus Reveals Targeted Capabilities for Improved Biofuel Production

WALNUT CREEK, CA—The bane of military quartermasters may soon be a boon to biofuels producers. The genome analysis of a champion biomass-degrading fungus has revealed a surprisingly minimal repertoire of genes that it employs to break down plant cell walls, highlighting opportunities for further improvements in enzymes customized for biofuels production. The results were published… [Read More]

Mechanisms of Plant-Fungi Symbiosis Characterized by DOE Joint Genome Institute, Collaborators

WALNUT CREEK, CA—Plants gained their ancestral toehold on dry land with considerable help from their fungal friends. Now, millennia later, that partnership is being exploited as a strategy to bolster biomass production for next-generation biofuels. The genetic mechanism of this kind of symbiosis, which contributes to the delicate ecological balance in healthy forests, also provides… [Read More]

DOE JGI Releases a New Version of its Metagenome Data Management & Analysis System

WALNUT CREEK, CA–Targeting its ever-expanding user community, the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has released an upgraded version of the IMG/M metagenome data management and analysis system, accessible to the public at http://img.jgi.doe.gov/m. IMG/M provides tools for analyzing the functional capability of microbial communities based on their metagenome DNA sequence in… [Read More]

DOE JGI Releases Soybean Genome Assembly

WALNUT CREEK, CA–A preliminary assembly and annotation of the soybean genome, Glycine max, has been made available by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), to the greater scientific community to enable bioenergy research. The announcement was made by Eddy Rubin, DOE JGI Director, during his keynote remarks Jan. 15 at the… [Read More]

JGI Community Sequencing Program Delivers First Moss Genome

WALNUT CREEK, CA–Messages from nearly a half-billion years ago, conveyed via the inventory of genes sequenced from a present-day moss, provide clues about the earliest colonization of dry land by plants. The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI) was among the leaders of an international effort uniting more than 40 institutions to complete… [Read More]

Latest Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) Data Management System Update Release

WALNUT CREEK, CA–Version 2.4 of the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) data management system, a resource provided to the scientific community for microbial genome data analysis, has now been released. Hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), IMG has built a popular following as reflected in the overwhelming response to IMG… [Read More]