Chaetoceros is the most abundant and cosmopolitan diatom genus in the world’s ocean, so these genomes will enable population genetics studies and allow exploration of the genetic and epigenetic contributions to species adaptation and evolution. [Read More]

We propose to generate data that would provide us with a better understanding of the role of different microorganisms involved methanogenesis in the rumen ecosystem and the foundation to develop new strategies for methane mitigation from ruminants. Ruminant animals are one of major anthropogenic sources of the highly potent greenhouse gas methane and advanced methane mitigation strategies would have a significant impact on the global methane emission and the therefore on climate change. This aligns fully with DOE’s mission to reduce the anthropogenic carbon footprint. [Read More]

Is there more biochemistry to be discovered in the microbial world? How universal is biochemistry between distantly related bacteria? A massive amount of microbial genome data exists, yet every new sequence finds genes for which we cannot predict a concrete function. This proposal seeks to combine genomic information with direct detection of metabolites to answer these questions and provide a path for assigning gene functions in two distantly related microbial groups that play key roles in carbon and sulfur cycling in multiple ecosystems across the planet. [Read More]

This project investigates fungal root endophytes of the oilseed crop soybean for their potential to deter biotic stresses from root pathogen such as the soybean cyst nematode and the sudden death syndrome fungal root-rot pathogen. [Read More]

This project seeks to ascertain the mechanisms of lignocellulose deconstruction employed by these soft rot fungi. [Read More]

The Sahel region in West Africa is highly vulnerable to drought, endangering the livelihood of millions of millet subsistence farmers in the region. However, a solution has been revealed; when farmers grown millet in close proximity with native woody shrub gueira, the millet has greater biomass and yields. We predict that the millet-associated microbial community is influenced by the shrub such that the microbes are able to confer better drought resistance to their host millet in the presence of the shrub. We will characterize the metagenomes of millet to test this hypothesis. [Read More]

This research project focuses on elucidating the plant-microbe interactions of the wood decay fungus Perenniporia fraxinea, a serious pathogen of hardwood trees. Multi-omics analyses will reveal the comprehensive mechanisms and key fungal genes involved in the wood infection and degradation processes will be identified. Furthermore, key fungal proteins involved in the processes will be biochemically characterized and subjected to chemical screening in our efforts to identify specific inhibitors with potential as novel wood-protective agents against P. fraxinea and related wood-decay fungi. [Read More]