Pedomicrobium manganicum lives in one of the most hostile environments on the planet, the surface of desert rocks. This ecological niche can expose it within minutes or hours to massive fluctuations in temperature, ultraviolet irradiation, and desiccation. Consequently, its genome must have evolved to encode the diverse physiological capabilities required for survival in this inhospitable…
Why Sequence Beijerinckiaceae?
Methane is a major greenhouse gas and a potential alternative fuel. In the environment, methane is oxidized by aerobic methanotrophic bacteria. Most methanotrophic bacteria are unable to grow on any substrate containing a carbon-carbon bond, and are therefore termed “obligate methanotrophs”. The only known exception is the recently discovered facultative methanotroph Methylocella, which grows on…
Why Sequence Methanomicrococcus blatticola?
Methanomicrococcus blatticola is a rapidly growing methanogen with a very high yield of biomass per mol of methane formed. The lack of a rigid cell wall makes it a good candidate for a number of biotechnological applications. Its high affinity for hydrogen allows conversion of even the lowest concentrations of hydrogen into methane, provided that…
Why Sequence Organisms in the Foregut of the Tammar Wallaby?
This project will involve the construction of metagenomic libraries from the microbiome resident in the foregut of the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii), a marsupial unique to Australia and New Zealand. The foregut microbiome of these animals coordinates efficient plant biomass degradation, but unlike that in ruminants and other herbivorous vertebrates, anaerobic fermentation in wallabies results…
Why Sequence Freshwater Iron-Oxidizing Bacteria?
The goal of this project is to obtain complete genome sequences for six different freshwater iron (Fe)-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB). Four of these are oxygen-dependent iron-oxidizing β-proteobacteria, and three of these, Sideroxydans lithotrophicus, Gallionella capsiferriformans, and strain TW-2, are capable of chemolithoautotrophic growth (that is, obtaining energy by the oxidation of inorganic compounds) using Fe(II) as…
Why Sequence a Frankia species that is an Obligate Symbiont?
This project will elucidate the genome of a Frankia sp. strain that represents one of three lineages (Cluster 2) within the genus. The strain is an obligate symbiont living in plant tissue. Genome sequences of close relatives who are not “obligate” have recently become available and will be used for comparative genomics. Frankia sp. strains…
Why Sequence the Symbiont of a Symbiont?
Termites efficiently transform lignocellulose and humus into valuable sugars, fuels (hydrogen, methane), and other intermediates of interest for biotechnologists, by exploiting the metabolic capabilities of the diverse microbial symbionts inhabiting their hindguts. In the five evolutionary “lower” termite families, the hindgut microbial community is dominated by a unique assemblage of flagellate protozoa, which are important…
Why Sequence Bacteria from Stromatolites?
Marine stromatolites are formed by the interactions of several key bacterial groups, which precipitate repeating layers (laminae) of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). During 70% of the time life has occupied earth, stromatolites were a dominant biological community. Their associated microbial communities have played a significant role in carbon sequestration, preservation, and cycling during the evolution of…
Why Sequence a Dechlorinating Community?
Carcinogenic chlorinated solvents are among the most common and persistent groundwater contaminants in all industrialized nations. These compounds include the dry-cleaning agent tetrachloroethene (PCE), the widely used industrial solvent trichloroethene (TCE), and 1,2- dichloroethane (1,2-DCA), a precursor in plastic manufacture. Owing to their significant toxicity, even small spills render groundwater nonpotable, and current methods of…
Why Sequence Cyanothece strains?
Cyanobacteria are oxygenic (oxygen-producing) photosynthetic prokaryotes that make significant contributions to the global biological solar energy conversion process. Oxygenic photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation are important metabolic processes that are at odds with each other, since the nitrogen-fixing enzyme, nitrogenase, is highly sensitive to oxygen. This project focuses on the strategies devised by the unicellular, nitrogen-fixing…