Frankia sp. strains form N2-fixing root nodules on woody trees and shrubs in a symbiosis known as “actinorhizal”. Because Frankia strains fix nitrogen, actinorhizal plants grow well on marginal soils. The plants are potential sources of biomass for energy generation and carbon sequestration, and have been used for remediating stressed or contaminated soils. Frankia form…
Why Sequence Biogeochemically Important Bacteria?
DOE JGI will be sequencing three biogeochemically important bacteria, Diaphorobacter sp. strain TPSY, Ferrutens nitratireducens strain 2002 and Azospira suillum strain PS. These organisms represent diverse genera capable of anaerobically oxidizing both iron(II) and humic acids by using nitrate as the electron acceptor. Two of these organisms, strain 2002 and strain TPSY, are also capable…
Why Sequence Stalked Bacteria?
The stalks synthesized by some members of the α-Proteobacteria take up diffuse compounds from water sources, a feature that could be exploited for bioremediation, specifically the uptake of toxic compounds from contaminated water sources. Furthermore, extracellular polysaccharides from some of the stalked bacteria sequester metals, a feature that could be used to remediate environments affected…
Why Sequence a Methane-Oxidizing Archaeon?
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas whose atmospheric concentration has increased significantly because of anthropogenic activities and fluctuated naturally over glacial and interglacial cycles. While the importance of methane in Earth’s climate dynamics has been well established, the global processes regulating its oceanic cycling remain poorly understood. Although there are high rates of methane production…
Why Sequence Allochromatium vinosum?
Anoxygenic purple sulfur bacteria flourish in globally occurring habitats, wherever light reaches sulfidic water layers or sediments, and often grow as dense accumulations in conspicuous blooms in freshwater as well as marine aquatic ecosystems. Here they are not only major players in the reoxidation of sulfide produced by sulfate-reducing bacteria in deeper anoxic layers but…
Why Sequence Extreme Microbial Habitats from Yellowstone National Park?
There is significant current interest in hydrogen as a potential energy source for a variety of applications, and there is a concerted effort to explore the use of whole organisms or biomimetic materials to produce hydrogen as a fuel. In addition, although fuel-cell technology is well developed, the projected dependence on platinum may rapidly exceed…
Why Sequence a Biogas-Producing Microbial Community?
The world population is steadily growing, and so is the amount of waste produced by human activity. For example, an estimated 236 million tons of municipal solid waste are produced annually in the U.S., 50% of which is biomass. At the same time, energy sources are rapidly depleting. Converting organic waste to renewable biofuel by…
Why Sequence Anammox Bacteria?
The deep sediments and oxygen minimum zones of the world’s oceans are assumed to be responsible for the majority of nitrogen loss on earth. The microbes responsible for the nitrogen loss were long unknown, but compelling evidence is now accumulating that marine anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria are responsible, making them very important players in…
Why Sequence Type I Accumulibacter?
Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) is a wastewater treatment process used throughout the world to protect surface waters from accelerated eutrophication (overgrowth due to nutrient pollution). The microbial assemblages carrying out EBPR in lab-scale and full-scale wastewater treatment plants are ideal model systems in which to study the forces driving community, population, and genome dynamics,…
Why Sequence Tetrahymena thermophila?
The ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila is a microbial model organism for a wide variety of research disciplines. In addition to its proven importance as a model system for discovering fundamental principles of eukaryotic biology, it is the most experimentally amenable member of the Alveolates (e.g., disease-causing Plasmodium) and of the evolutionarily diverse ciliate species that…