WALNUT CREEK, CA–Despite the perception that the genetic diversity among animals–ranging from humans to worms–is enormous, the reality is that it pales in comparison to the diversity between the microbes that make up the bulk of the biomass on the planet. Accordingly, to close conspicuous gaps in our understanding of the tree of life, the…
JGI, VBI Help Unravel Sudden Oak Death & Soybean Disease
WALNUT CREEK, CA–Researchers are closer now to thwarting two related plant pathogens, one causing “Sudden Oak Death” (SOD) and another responsible for a devastating soybean disease, thanks to the DNA sequence produced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI), in collaboration with the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI). The projects received nearly…
JGI Decodes Wood and Toxic Waste-Degrading Fungus Genome
Walnut Creek, CA–The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) announces today the publication of a high-quality draft genome sequence of the white rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium. These are the only known microbes capable of efficiently degrading the recalcitrant aromatic plant polymer lignin, one of the most abundant natural materials on earth….
Gene-Rich Human Chromosome 19 Sequence Completed
Walnut Creek, CA–The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and Stanford University report today the completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19, the most gene-rich of all the human chromosomes. This achievement is described in the April 1, 2004 edition of the journal Nature. “Culminating 18 years of research, this…
First Genomes Revealed from Environmental Microbial Communities
Walnut Creek, CA–Researchers from the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the University of California, Berkeley, report the first genomic characterization of a microbial community. The results announced online February 1st in the journal Nature reveal how the genetic identities of microorganisms thriving in toxic conditions, “extremophiles,” were recovered from a natural biofilm…
JGI Launches Community Sequencing Program
The Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI) is poised for a resounding response to the age-old question, “If we build it, will they come?” Already, collaborators are queuing up to take advantage of one of the world’s most powerful DNA sequencing facilities for the debut of DOE’s Community Sequencing Program (CSP). “The primary goal…
Genomes of Tiny Microbes Yield Clues to Global Climate Change
By analyzing the genomes of several microscopic ocean-dwelling organisms sequenced at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI), scientists are gaining new insights into how the planet’s oceans affect its climate. Comparative studies of four types of cyanobacteria–“photosynthetic” microbes that derive energy from sunlight, just like plants–were published today on the websites of…
DOE Joint Genome Institute and Diversa Corp. Announce Large-Scale Microbial Sequencing Collaboration
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and Diversa Corporation (Nasdaq: DVSA) today announced a collaboration to discover and sequence novel microbial genomes found in a diverse range of unique habitats. Under the collaboration, Diversa will use its proprietary technologies to extract DNA from environmental samples and make gene libraries, while JGI will…
Eddy Rubin Named JGI Director
Dr. Edward M. (Eddy) Rubin, an internationally known geneticist and medical researcher, has been named Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI). Rubin was also named Director of the Genomics Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Rubin, who had been serving as Interim Director of JGI since spring 2002, was…
Sea Squirt DNA Sheds Light on Vertebrate Evolution
WALNUT CREEK, CA — The streamlined genome of Ciona intestinalis, a common sea squirt closely related to vertebrates on the evolutionary tree, is providing new clues about the origins of key vertebrate systems and structures including the human hormone, nervous and immune systems. In an article for the December 13, 2002 edition of the journal…