WALNUT CREEK, CA–On the one-year anniversary of the launch of the experimental metagenome data management and analysis system, IMG/M, the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has released the latest upgrade. Targeting DOE JGI’s expanding user base, IMG/M provides tools for analyzing the functional capability of microbial communities based on their metagenome…
DOE JGI Releases IMG 2.0 with all Genomes Refreshed from RefSeq
WALNUT CREEK, CA–Version 2.0 of the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) data management system of the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has been released to the public. The content of IMG 2.0 has been entirely refreshed and extended with the latest versions of genomes available from the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s…
Genomic Comparison of Lactic Acid Bacteria Published
WALNUT CREEK, CA–With public concerns at a fevered pitch over the bacterial contamination of spinach, it is easy to lose track of how bland and deprived our world would be without the contribution to our food supply of such benign microbial players as lactic acid-producing bacteria. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome…
Better Sludge through Metagenomics
WALNUT CREEK, CA–Few stop to consider the consequences of their daily ablutions, the washing of clothes, the watering of lawns, and the flush of a toilet. However, wastewater treatment–one of the corner stones of modern civilization–is the largest microbially mediated biotechnology process on the planet. When it works, it is a microbial symphony in tune…
No Guts, No Worries: Worm Enlists Full-Service Microbes for Transportation, Energy, & Waste Management
WALNUT CREEK, CA–Researchers have now characterized the unique lifestyle of a gutless worm that commutes through marine sediments powered by a community of symbiotic microbial specialists harbored just under its skin, obviating the need for digestive and excretory systems. From a species of marine oligochaete worm isolated off of the coast of Elba, the Mediterranean…
The First Tree Genome is Published
In Science, the first complete DNA sequence of a tree – the black cottonwood or Populus trichocarpa – lays the groundwork that may lead to feedstock for a new generation of biofuels.
JGI, VBI Describe Evolutionary Origin, Disease-Causing Mechanisms of Sudden Oak Death, Related Soybean Disease Pathogens
WALNUT CREEK, CA–By comparing the complete genome sequences of two plant-killing pathogens and related organisms, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI), in collaboration with the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) and others, have uncovered crucial aspects of the disease-causing mechanisms of “Sudden Oak Death” (SOD) and soybean root rot disease. The…
DOE JGI Sequences, Releases Genome of Symbiotic Tree Fungus
WALNUT CREEK, CA–The DNA sequence of Laccaria bicolor, a fungus that forms a beneficial symbiosis with trees and inhabits one of the most ecologically and commercially important microbial niches in North American and Eurasian forests, has been determined by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI). The complete Laccaria genome sequence was…
Energy-rich Portfolio of New Genome Sequencing Targets for DOE JGI
WALNUT CREEK, CA–Bioenergy crop plants switchgrass and cassava, other important agricultural commodities such as cotton, and microbes geared to break down plant material to render biofuels, round out the roster of more than 40 projects to be tackled by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) over the next year. Drawing submissions…
DOE JGI Releases IMG 1.5 with Curated Archaeal Genomes
WALNUT CREEK, CA–Version 1.5 of the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) data management system of the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has been released to the public. IMG 1.5 now contains a total of 741 genomes (435 bacterial, 32 archaeal, 15 eukaryotic genomes and 259 bacterial phages) of which 602 are finished…