Genus-wide Aspergillus project highlights new functional genome annotation methods. Found in microbial communities around the world, Aspergillus fungi are pathogens, decomposers, and important sources of biotechnologically-important enzymes. Each Aspergillus species is known to contain more than 250 carbohydrate active enzymes (CAzymes), which break down plant cell walls and are of interest to Department of Energy…
The fungus that made itself at home
Retracing how the dry rot Serpula lacrymans adapted to a new ecological habitat. The Science By comparing genetic information from similar organisms, researchers have gained insights on why the dry rot (Serpula lacrymans) is so destructive in houses. A study involving six brown rot fungi reveals the genomic changes Serpula lacrymans has undergone in adapting…
When One Reference Genome is Not Enough
Much of the research in the field of plant functional genomics to date has relied on approaches based on single reference genomes. But by itself, a single reference genome does not capture the full genetic variability of a species. A pan-genome, the non-redundant union of all the sets of genes found in individuals of a…
A Functional Genomics Database for Plant Microbiome Studies
Catalog of candidate genes involved in plant-microbe relationships. As the global population rises, estimated to hit nearly 10 billion by 2050, so does the need to boost crop yields and produce enough plant material for both food and sustainable alternative fuels. To help improve crop breeding strategies and overcome challenges such as making plants more…
Colleen Hansel, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
How long have you collaborated with JGI? I started collaborating with JGI in the Fall of 2013 as part of a Facilities Integrating Collaborations for User Science (FICUS) award between JGI and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL). (Click here to learn more about her approved FICUS proposal.) We have been working with the JGI…
An Addiction Crucial to a Fungus’ Reproduction
A fungus relies on bacteria to regulate key components of its reproductive machinery The Science To better understand how beneficial organisms (symbionts) are transmitted between host generations, researchers investigated the role that bacteria living within a host (endosymbionts) have on fungal host reproduction, and the reproductive genes they regulate. The bacterial endosymbiont, Burkholderia, is recognized…
Succulent Genes for Water Use Efficiency
Comparative genomics identifies sequences involved in photosynthesis under reduced water conditions. The Science In the presence of sufficient water and light, most plants conduct photosynthesis through what is known as the C3 pathway. As plants spread out and adapted to live in a variety of environments, they developed alternate photosynthesis pathways, known as C4 and…
Insights into carbon fixation in the dark ocean
Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria have bigger role in marine carbon cycle than previously thought The Science Researchers have identified the most abundant and globally distributed nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in the oceans, through single-cell genomics and community meta-omics. They have also calculated the NOB’s contribution toward trapping carbon beneath the sunlit waters and determined that though these bacteria…
J. Chris Pires, University of Missouri
“JGI has phenomenal scientists and staff who are part of our dream team.” How long have you collaborated with the JGI? I have been involved with the JGI Community Science Program (CSP) since 2012. I am involved in two JGI projects. The first one is the Brassicales Map Alignment Project (BMAP), which was funded…
White Rot Fungi’s Size Explained by Breadth of Gene Families Involved
Comparative genomics involving humongous fungus helps explain evolution of Armillaria Among the contenders for the world’s largest living organism is something usually considered much smaller than a blue whale, or a towering sequoia. This particular organism is so big, one needs an aerial map to grasp its size, and even then it’s not completely visible…