The DOE Joint Genome Institute is also a national user facility focused on developing tools that more cost-effectively enable the assembly and analysis of the sequence that it generates.
A New Cost-Effective Genome Assembly Process
The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) is among the world leaders in sequencing the genomes of microbes, focusing on their potential applications in the fields of bioenergy and environment. As a national user facility, the DOE JGI is also focused on developing tools that more cost-effectively enable the assembly and analysis…
Marine metagenome offers clues to ocean nitrogen cycle
Nitrification is the process by which ammonia is converted first into nitrites and then into nitrates, a form of nitrogen that can then be used by plants to grow. However, understanding how the nitrogen cycle works in marine environments is equally crucial. Until 1977, scientists believed that ammonium could only be oxidized by aerobic bacteria….
Termite diets dictate microbes in their guts
Realtors and homeowners cringe at the thought of termites on their properties, but for bioenergy researchers, these insects are rich harbors of microbial communities that can break down woody lignocellulose. In 2007, the DOE Joint Genome Institute sequenced the microbes in the hindgut of termites from Costa Rica (from the Nasutitermesgenus) to identify the genes…
A trace element’s central role in harmful algal blooms
Four years after it first appeared and devastated the scallop industry, the algal masses that turned the bays of Long Island, NY brown disappeared.
A peach of a genome with breeding lessons for biofuels crops
Several plants sequenced by the DOE Joint Genome Institute have been considered “flagship” genomes due to their importance to DOE mission and plant science. Among these plants are poplar, the first tree sequenced and a candidate bioenergy feedstock, and soybean, the primary source of biodiesel in the United States. Other plant genomes are important for…
Peach genome project in Biofuels Digest
In California, the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) is working to isolate the “evergreen” locus in peaches, which extends the growing season of the plant. Said Daniel Rokhsar, head of the DOE JGI Eukaryotic Program, “In theory, it could be manipulated in poplar to increase the accumulation of biomass.” Peach genes…
Peach Genome Offers Insights into Breeding Strategies for Biofuels Crops
Rapidly growing trees like poplars and willows are candidate “biofuel crops” from which it is expected that cellulosic ethanol and higher energy content fuels can be efficiently extracted. Domesticating these crops requires a deep understanding of the physiology and genetics of trees, and scientists are turning to long-domesticated fruit trees for hints. The relationship between…
Large toolset for detecting genetic variation in poplars
Beyond their status as a fast-growing candidate biofuels feedstock.
Bacterial sequence to help understand ant fungal gardens
Leaf-cutter ant colonies are comprised of millions of ants harvesting hundreds of kilos of leaves annually for use in growing their primary food source, a fungus. The fungal gardens tended by these ants allow them to convert plant biomass on a very large scale. Bioenergy researchers are looking at the microbial composition of the fungal…