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The heat is on – microbial mat communities in Hot Lake

Diverse underwater communities of cyanobacteria and other microorganisms are capable of withstanding drastic changes in salinity. The Science The microbial mat communities—multi-layered sheets of bacteria and archaea that grow at the interface between submerged, moist or even desiccated surfaces—in a remote lake near the border with Canada are relatively stable, despite weathering a 10-fold increase… [Read More]

Combining profiling and genomics yields novel metabolites

Cyanobacteria’s ability to capture solar energy and fix CO2 holds promise for biotech applications The Science Researchers studied 10 different cyanobacteria to identify their secondary metabolites (compounds produced during normal cellular metabolism not directly involved in cell growth, that may play an important role in interactions outside the cell) and the genes linked to those… [Read More]

DOE JGI Science Highlight: The inner workings of cyanobacteria carbon fixation

New research upholds theoretical structure for cyanobacteria carboxysomes. The Science Researchers described the structure of a protein critical to the outer shell of carboxysomes, the organelle-like structure that cyanobacteria use for carbon fixation. The Impact The structure and interaction of the proteins that make up the carboxysome’s outer shell aren’t clearly understood. A detailed study… [Read More]

Analyzing the Role of DNA Methylation in a Bioremediation Bacterium

Characterizing functional roles in a microbe with bioremediation applications a first step toward similar studies for other prokaryotes The Science Researchers studied the role of DNA methylation on gene expression and other processes in the heavy-metal reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 with the help of next-generation Single-Molecule Real Time (SMRT) sequencers from Pacific Biosciences. The… [Read More]

Beetle gut microbes bore through woody tissues

Profile of wood-boring beetle’s midgut microbial community identifies candidate genes involved in processes including lignin degradation The Science Metagenomics allowed researchers to conduct a functional analysis of the midgut microbial community in the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis), an invasive insect that feeds on lignin in deciduous trees such as poplars and willows. The Impact… [Read More]

POPSEQ for Plant Genome Assembly

New approach allows researchers to work on many species regardless of sequence resources The Science Plant genomics researchers evaluated POPSEQ, a method for assembling complex plant genomes using next-generation sequencing. The Impact Using a large, complex and highly-repetitive plant genome, the findings yielded results comparable to the previously assembled sequence. The proof of principle demonstrates… [Read More]

Subsurface Sediment Yields Novel Organism

Metagenomic analysis emphasizes the “extraordinary microbial novelty” of poorly-explored subsurface ecosystems The Science Through metagenomics, researchers reconstructed a dominant organism and member of a new phylum-level lineage from an aquifer sediment in Colorado. The Impact Analysis of the complete microbial genome led to a detailed metabolic model with evidence for multiple new enzymes and pathways…. [Read More]

Hope for Re-establishing Gulf of Mexico Microbial Populations

Comparative Analysis Shows Petroleum Reduced Species Diversity The Science Researchers used metatranscriptomic analyses to compare the microbial populations in the Gulf of Mexico before and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to learn more about the impact of adding petroleum to the waters. The Impact Though the oil spill reduced the diversity of the microbial… [Read More]

Solving the Secrets of Sedimentary Microbes

Microbes from Phylum Chloroflexi Provide Clues to Carbon Cycling, Respiration in Sediments The Science Through metagenomics, researchers sequenced 86 organisms from the phylum Chloroflexi that represent 15 distinct lineages in order to discover the secrets of microbial life within terrestrial aquifer sediment deposits. The Impact These Chloroflexi microbes were found to have metabolic processes involved… [Read More]

Moss Sequencing “Ennobles” Flagship Genome

Physcomitrella Genome Expected to Provide Help with Global Climate Change The Science An international team of scientists has annotated all 32,275 genes of Physcomitrella patens, a moss sequenced by the DOE Joint Genome Institute that contains about 10,000 more genes than humans. The Impact It is widely believed that the P. patens genome contains information… [Read More]