White-rot basidiomycetes can degrade all components of lignocellulosicbiomass, including lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose. Thus, harnessing the metabolic potential of these organisms is key to developing cost-effective technologies for the production of renewable energy and value-added co-products from residual plant biomass. A comparative analysis of the white rot fungus, Phanerochaetecarnosa, isolated from softwoods, andPhanerochaetechrysosporium, isolated from…
Targeted metagenomics approach pins down role of “wild” alga
Marine microbes play key roles in cycling carbon between the atmosphere and the ocean depths, but little is known about their populations throughout the waters. As global temperatures change, so do these populations, which in turn impacts their contributions to the carbon cycle. Researchers want to learn more about these effects, but one of the…
Berkeley Lab Seeking Licensees in GenomeWeb
“This is a general method to get DNA out from any kind of sample, but with higher sensitivity, we think, than current methods, and more … versatility in terms of product models,” Youn-Hi Woo, a staff scientist at Berkeley Lab and one of the method’s inventors, told PCR Insider this week.” Read more on GenomeWeb (subscription may…
32 papers in one day – ENCODE project’s first reports
The papers published Wednesday recount more than 1,600 experiments involving more than 180 different cell types, said Richard Myers, president of the nonprofit HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Ala.“They have shown how the millions of switches in the human genome determine which proteins in the body are going to be made, how they will work together, and how…
Algal Lipid Pathways Linked to Those in Plants and Fungi
Red algae play an important role in carbon and nitrogen cycles in the ocean, and are potential biomass for biofuel production. However, few red algae have been studied at the genomic level to date. An international collaboration of researchers has found that some species of the extremophilic red algae Porphyra have a pathway similar to…
Methylobacteria Shed Light on the C and N Cycles
Methylobacteriaare vital for processing single-carbon compounds like methanol, methylamine, and the greenhouse gas methane. They play a central role in the carbon and nitrogen cycle. While many researchers are studying the bacteria, their full functionality is still unknown– but it’s becoming more complete, thanks to a recent publication of six genomes of different strains of…
Drifting Poplar Populations Inform Breeding Strategies
Since the publication of the genome sequence of the first tree, the black cottonwood or poplar Populustrichocarpain 2006 by the DOE Joint Genome Institute, a growing community of researchers have been engaged in advancing the development of poplar as a candidatefeedstockfornext-generationbiofuelsowing to the tree’s compact genome, rapid growth and life cycle. One area of study…
Rethinking Rhodanobacter
Denitrification, or breaking down nitrates in soil, is important. It removes the chemicals from potentially contaminating groundwater, but it can also release nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. Scientists discovered that many species of the low-pH dwelling bacteria in the Rhodanobactergenus are capable of denitrification. This is on the heels of the discovery…
Prototypical genomic study of Plant-Microbe Interaction
Instead of using dangerous and toxic pesticides or expensive fertilizers, farmers may one day use microbes to fully manage diseases in soil. Already the microbial community in and surrounding plant roots fights pests and manages carbon and other soil nutrients, ultimately contributing to plant health and growth. What’s more, they aid plants in sequestering pollutants….
Arabidopsis root microbiome project: release from University of Queensland
Led by the University of North Carolina and the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, the research studied the microbiome in soil around the roots of more than 600 Arabidopsis thaliana plants. The team, which included The University of Queensland Professor Philip Hugenholtz, investigated how the microbiome helps shuttle nutrients and information into and out…