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Breaking Down Biomass with Thermophilic Bacteria

The deconstruction of biomass is a pivotal process in the biofuel industry, but the enzymes that possess a significant role in the breakdown of biomass remain relatively unexplored. To this end, DOE researchers at several national labs and user facilities are studying thermophilic bacteria, organisms that survive and thrive in high-temperature environments, that contain these… [Read More]

The Importance and Function of Nitrogen-Fixing Microbes

All organisms on Earth require nitrogen to survive, but most cannot use nitrogen unless it is combined with other elements. These compounds are formed by the process known as nitrogen fixation, which can only be carried out in nature with the help of microorganisms. In agriculture, fertilizers are often deployed to supplement nitrogen levels in… [Read More]

Solving Microbial “Dark Matter” With Single-Cell Genomics

Microbes facilitate many of the natural cycles in plant growth and health, and play roles in  many processes in nutrient cycles that control certain environments and climates. Though thousands of these microbes have been identified, the majority of these microbes are still a mystery to scientists and are referred to as microbial “dark matter.” Steps… [Read More]

Noncoding DNA Map Provides Insight to Plant Gene Regulation

Widely used as a model for plant research, Arabidopsis thaliana was the first plant to have its genome completely sequenced. However, there is still much to learn about this plant, including the function of its many DNA conserved noncoding sequences (CNSs). These regions hold key roles in activating certain traits during plant development, but why… [Read More]

Genome Streamlining a Survival Strategy in Marine Microbes

The ocean’s surface or photic zone, where sufficient light enables photosynthesis, harbors vast amounts of life-sustaining microbes that attach themselves to plankton. A large portion of the carbon in the ocean is processed by these microbes, which helps sustain the abundance of diverse marine life. But these microbes can be exceedingly difficult to culture in… [Read More]

Ehux – The Alga of Many Faces

Known by the researchers who sequenced it at the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute as “The Beast”, and considered the “Flowers of the Ocean” by others, Emiliania huxleyi has proved to be a single-celled coccolithophore of many faces. The third most abundant group of phytoplankton, Ehux is the basis of most ocean food chains,… [Read More]

Capsella provides insight into the genomic results of selfing

About 200,000 years ago, Capsella rubella began self fertilizing and split from C. grandiflora. To study the effects of selfing on C. rubella’s genome, the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute sequenced and compared it with C. grandiflora and members of the closely related Arabidopsis genus – the first plant ever sequenced and model species… [Read More]

Fungal genome offers clues on how leaf-cutter ants farm

Leaf-cutter ants are well-known examples of insects that use microbes to gain access to nutrients, farming “gardens” in which bacteria and fungi break down plant mass. In an article featured on the cover of the June 2013 issue of Applied Environmental Microbiology, a team including DOE Joint Genome Institute researchers and longtime collaborators at the Great… [Read More]

Microbial genomes help propose phylum name

Metagenomicsand single-cell genomics are tools helping researchers learn more about the “biological dark matter” that has not been cultivated and studied in the laboratory. In an article published May 14, 2013 in Nature Communications. [Read More]