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Gene-Rich Human Chromosome 19 Sequence Completed

Walnut Creek, CA–The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and Stanford University report today the completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19, the most gene-rich of all the human chromosomes. This achievement is described in the April 1, 2004 edition of the journal Nature. “Culminating 18 years of research, this… [Read More]

First Genomes Revealed from Environmental Microbial Communities

Walnut Creek, CA–Researchers from the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the University of California, Berkeley, report the first genomic characterization of a microbial community. The results announced online February 1st in the journal Nature reveal how the genetic identities of microorganisms thriving in toxic conditions, “extremophiles,” were recovered from a natural biofilm… [Read More]

JGI Launches Community Sequencing Program

The Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI) is poised for a resounding response to the age-old question, “If we build it, will they come?” Already, collaborators are queuing up to take advantage of one of the world’s most powerful DNA sequencing facilities for the debut of DOE’s Community Sequencing Program (CSP). “The primary goal… [Read More]

Genomes of Tiny Microbes Yield Clues to Global Climate Change

By analyzing the genomes of several microscopic ocean-dwelling organisms sequenced at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI), scientists are gaining new insights into how the planet’s oceans affect its climate. Comparative studies of four types of cyanobacteria–“photosynthetic” microbes that derive energy from sunlight, just like plants–were published today on the websites of… [Read More]

DOE Joint Genome Institute and Diversa Corp. Announce Large-Scale Microbial Sequencing Collaboration

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and Diversa Corporation (Nasdaq: DVSA) today announced a collaboration to discover and sequence novel microbial genomes found in a diverse range of unique habitats. Under the collaboration, Diversa will use its proprietary technologies to extract DNA from environmental samples and make gene libraries, while JGI will… [Read More]

Eddy Rubin Named JGI Director

Dr. Edward M. (Eddy) Rubin, an internationally known geneticist and medical researcher, has been named Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI). Rubin was also named Director of the Genomics Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Rubin, who had been serving as Interim Director of JGI since spring 2002, was… [Read More]

Sea Squirt DNA Sheds Light on Vertebrate Evolution

WALNUT CREEK, CA — The streamlined genome of Ciona intestinalis, a common sea squirt closely related to vertebrates on the evolutionary tree, is providing new clues about the origins of key vertebrate systems and structures including the human hormone, nervous and immune systems. In an article for the December 13, 2002 edition of the journal… [Read More]

JGI to Decode DNA of Destructive Plant Pathogen

Backed by nearly $4 million in funding from three Federal agencies, researchers in California and Virginia are joining forces to learn the genetic secrets of a notorious plant pathogen that causes billions of dollars a year in damage to forests and soybean crops. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI) in… [Read More]

Researchers to Toast “Good” Bacteria

The next time you chow down on a sausage pizza, enjoy a refreshing frozen yogurt, or savor a fine wine, remember to thank the bugs. Lactic acid bacteria (bacteria that ferment sugars into lactic acid) play an essential role in the production of wine, as well as such fermented foods as cheese, yogurt, pickles, sausage… [Read More]

Joint Genome Institute to Sequence Key African Frog Genome

WALNUT CREEK, CA — In their continuing search for new clues to how human genes function and how vertebrates develop and evolve, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI) are gearing up to map the DNA of a diminutive, fast-growing African frog named Xenopus tropicalis. Frogs have long been a favorite… [Read More]