Within leaves, disease-causing pathogens co-occur and interact with ubiquitous, non-pathogenic symbionts known as endophytes. Understanding the role of fungal endophytes in diseases of crop-, plantation-, and forest plants is of great interest as researchers strive to meet current and future demands for food and bioenergy while maintaining functional and biologically diverse ecosystems. This project focuses…
Lignocellulose-degrading Agaricales fungi
This project focuses on the genomes of thirty-two saprobic Agaricales, for a large repertoire of enzymes acting on plant biomass.
Insights on tree-subsurface microbial interactions
In forested watersheds, trees are center stage in the carbon cycle. However, tree-based photosynthetic carbon fixation is modulated by interactions with the subsurface microbial biosphere. Previous studies focused on the root rhizosphere, but recent work at the Eel River Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) in Northern California suggests much of the carbon, water and nutrient exchange…
Subsurface microbiology for GEWaSC modelling
Investigating the ways in which intersecting biological, chemical, and physical processes shape the terrestrial subsurface, with feedbacks to the regional or global system.
An ENCODE-like model for Chlamy
The objective of this project is to to perform a comprehensive study of regulatory (transcriptional and miRNA) networks underlying the nutrient stress-induced lipid accumulation response. They intend to use the information to develop an ENCODE-like working model of DNA regulatory elements associated with nutrient-responsive control of lipid accumulation phenotype (LAP) and biomass production in Chlamydomonas…
Banfield collaboration in Quanta magazine
“We used to think there were just plants and animals,” said Edward Rubin, director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute. “Then we got microscopes, and got microbes. Then we got small levels of DNA sequencing.” Quanta magazine focused on a recent project led by Jill Banfield in Colorado, one that significantly increased the known…
Cleaning Up Bunker Oil with White Rot Fungi
Researchers evaluate how fungi better known for breaking down plant biomass do in a bioremediation application. The Science: Researchers evaluated the potential capabilities of six white rot fungi to break down oil in contaminated canal waters. The Impact: Though white rot fungi are known for their capabilities in breaking down components of plant cell walls,…
Unearthing Cornerstones in Root Microbiomes
Defining core members of a microbial community for normal plant growth Like the tip of an iceberg, a plant sprouting from the soil barely hints at what lies beneath. At the nexus where roots and soil intersect are thriving microbial communities that play important roles in plant health and growth. Understanding how plant yields can…
Matthew Sullivan, The Ohio State University
Departments of Microbiology, and Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH Collaborated with JGI since 2001 How long have you collaborated with the JGI and on which projects? Since 2009 as head of my own lab, and since 2001 as a PhD student (with Penny Chisholm at MIT) working on the initial marine Prochlorococcus and…
The MiSIng Piece Revealed: Classifying microbial species in the genomics era
The rapid explosion in the throughput of DNA sequencing due to new technology platforms is fueling an increase in the number of sequenced microbial genomes and driving much greater availability of these data to the research community. Traditionally, identifying the microorganisms selected for sequencing is often decided on the basis of a single universal marker…