Plant mitochondrial genomes are one of the last great frontiers for comparative sequencing. Our knowledge of these genomes comes from mapping studies, extensive Southern blot surveys, and very limited sequencing. Furthermore, compared to chloroplast genomes, they have been little used in reconstructing plant phylogeny. Plant mitochondrial genomes have been sequenced from only four angiosperms and…
Why Sequence the Pompeii Worm?
One of the most thermophilic eukaryotes, Alvinella pompejana, the Pompeii worm, is a resident of the Pacific deep-sea hydrothermal vent area. These worms reside on black smoker chimneys 2500 meters under the ocean surface where they experience (1) the highest temperatures and temperature gradients known for any eukaryote (20-80°C), (2) a toxic soup of heavy…
Why Sequence Capitella capitata?
Capitella capitata is a polychaete annelid (a bristle worm) and will be among the first of the Lophotrochozoa (a large superphylum comprising about 1/3 of animal life) to have its genome sequenced. This species has a simple external anatomy that represents well the common body plan of an annelid worm. It is small, adults ranging…
Why Sequence the Leech?
The goal of this project is to produce, annotate, and analyze a high-quality draft genomic sequence for the leech Helobdella robusta. Helobdella is a model annelid for the study of development and evolution at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels, as well as research in neurobiology, ecology, toxicology, aquaculture, and biomedicine. At ~350 million base…
Why Sequence the Limpet?
The goal of this project is to produce, annotate, and analyze a high-quality draft genomic sequence for a gastropod mollusk, the limpet Lottia scutum. Molluscs and annelids represent two diverse animal phyla that are united (along with several other groups of unsegmented worms) within the superphylum Spiralia, sharing spiral cleavage patterns early in development that…
Why Sequence Physcomitrella patens?
The moss Physcomitrella patens is becoming widely recognized as an experimental organism of choice not only for basic molecular, cytological, and developmental questions in plant biology, but also as a key link in understanding plant evolutionary questions, especially those related to genome evolution. Physcomitrella is well placed phylogenetically to provide important comparisons with the flowering…
Why Sequence Spironucleus vortens and Naegleria gruberi?
The comparative genomic study of basal eukaryotes affords a unique perspective on the origins and evolution of core features of eukaryotic cells, such as the nucleus and cytoskeleton. Phylogenomic analysis of basal eukaryotic groups makes possible the construction of an evolutionary “map” of the key events in eukaryote evolution, such as the elaboration of various…
Why Sequence Mycosphaerella?
Mycosphaerella is one of the largest genera of plant pathogenic fungi, having more than 1,000 named species, many of which cause economically important diseases in temperate and tropical crops. A few species of Mycosphaerella cause disease in humans and other vertebrates, so the genus is of interest both for human and plant health. Two species…
Why Sequence Reniera?
All animals, from the simplest invertebrates to humans, arose from a common ancestor that existed over 600 million years ago. Recent molecular phylogenetic and developmental data indicate that demosponges are part of the most ancient and basal metazoan lineage and have many hallmarks of animal development, including gastrulation and pattern formation. Sequencing the genome of…
Why Sequence Sporobolomyces roseus?
Sporobolomyces roseus is a unicellular basidiomycete “red” yeast species, a member of the class Urediniomycetes, that occurs in many different habitats but is frequently associated with plants. The attraction of S. roseus for genome sequencing is twofold. First, it has the smallest known genome size among basidiomycetes, by a factor of two. At 10 Mbp,…