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Strategy to Uncover More Microbial Lineages

Biases in current sequencing technologies hide true breadth of microbial diversity. The Science DOE JGI researchers employed datasets from the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) system to determine how many microbial lineages might be missed from available sequences in existing datasets due to mismatches with currently used Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) primers. PCR is a technology… [Read More]

Tracking Microbial Mat Formation in Yellowstone

Assessing real-time contributions of microbial communities toward mat formation. The Science Researchers determined the contributions of different microbes toward the establishment of microbial mat communities in the hot and acidic environments of the Yellowstone Hot Springs. The Impact Microbial mats serve as model systems for studying microbial interactions and their influence over biogeochemical processes. Understanding… [Read More]

Better Microbial Genome Binning with MetaBAT

DOE JGI researchers develop an automated software tool that can scale to handle complex metagenome datasets. The Science: DOE JGI researchers have developed an automated tool called MetaBAT that automatically groups large genomic fragments assembled from metagenome sequences to reconstruct single microbial genomes. The Impact: The ability to accurately and efficiently reconstruct individual microbial genomes… [Read More]

A History of Phage-Host Interactions With Help From CRISPRs

A tool to help microbial ecologists link phages to hosts in ecological studies. The Science: Using metagenomic datasets produced from the Iron Mountain site in Northern California and customized tools, researchers used bacterial spacer sequences commonly called CRISPRs to link phage and hosts in ecological studies. The Impact: Interactions between uncultivated microbes and their phage… [Read More]

A Single-Cell Pipeline for Soil Samples

Scientists evaluate a process that uses NanoSIMS and Raman microspectroscopy for in situ microbial studies. The Science: To investigate in situ function of uncultivated microbes, scientists evaluated a process for preparing soil samples for single-cell analysis methods. The Impact: The process allows researchers to efficiently analyze microbial activities at the single-cell level in soil systems,… [Read More]

Expanding Barley Genetics Resources

Genomic regions containing two-thirds of all annotated barley genes have been sequenced. The Science: Researchers generated nearly 16,000 sequences of gene-containing regions for barley, mapping approximately two-thirds of all annotated barley genes. The Impact: While researchers continue to work on a complete reference sequence for the barley genome, the determination of improved sequence assemblies for… [Read More]

Seeking “Gold Standard” Wastewater Treatments

Metagenomic analyses lend insights into how microbes break down wastewater contaminants. The Science: Researchers conducted analyses of microbial communities in laboratory-scale bioreactors breaking down contaminated wastewater from gold ore processing. The Impact: In this “first application of genome-resolved metagenomics” to characterize bioreactors involved in gold ore processing, the data reveal how the bioreactors utilize available… [Read More]

First Public Resource for Secondary Metabolites Searches

IMG-ABC allows researchers to link sequencing data and the search for novel biosynthetic gene pathways. The Science: The wealth of genomic and metagenomic datasets for microbes, particularly from previously unstudied environments, within the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) system is being applied in a new public database to the search for novel secondary metabolites that could… [Read More]

Cleaning Up Bunker Oil with White Rot Fungi

Researchers evaluate how fungi better known for breaking down plant biomass do in a bioremediation application. The Science: Researchers evaluated the potential capabilities of six white rot fungi to break down oil in contaminated canal waters. The Impact: Though white rot fungi are known for their capabilities in breaking down components of plant cell walls,… [Read More]

Celebrating the Eucalyptus Reference Genome

New Phytologist dedicates an entire issue to various research directions based on the tree genome. The Science: Building off the Eucalyptus grandis tree genome that researchers at the DOE Joint Genome Institute helped sequence and analyze, several researchers demonstrate the utility of the reference genome in the June 2015 special issue of New Phytologist. The… [Read More]