Doubling Down on Known Protein Families
Through a novel approach detailed in Nature, a massive computational analysis of microbiome datasets focuses on unveiling protein functional diversity. [Read More]
Content Tagged "microbial genomics"
From Life at the Extremes to Editing Genomes
Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier were recognized for their work on CRISPR-Cas9, technology described by the Nobel Foundation as having “a revolutionary impact on the life sciences.” For the past few years, Doudna’s lab has partnered with JGI’s Microbiome Data Science group led by Nikos Kyrpides, mining the IMG/M system for novel Cas genes and CRISPR systems. [Read More]
Subsurface Sediment Yields Novel Organism
Metagenomic analysis emphasizes the “extraordinary microbial novelty” of poorly-explored subsurface ecosystems The Science Through metagenomics, researchers reconstructed a dominant organism and member of a new phylum-level lineage from an aquifer sediment in Colorado. The Impact Analysis of the complete microbial genome led to a detailed metabolic model with evidence for multiple new enzymes and pathways…. [Read More]
Solving Microbial “Dark Matter” With Single-Cell Genomics
Microbes facilitate many of the natural cycles in plant growth and health, and play roles in many processes in nutrient cycles that control certain environments and climates. Though thousands of these microbes have been identified, the majority of these microbes are still a mystery to scientists and are referred to as microbial “dark matter.” Steps… [Read More]
Microbial dark matter study in Nature
“This is an astounding paper,” says Norman Pace, a microbiologist at the University of Colorado–Boulder. “The achievement of hundreds of genome sequences from single cells at a shot is an entirely new level of microbiology.” Read more in Nature [Read More]
Microbial dark matter study in BBC News
“For almost 20 years now we have been astonished by how little there is known about massive regions of the tree of life. This project is the first systematic effort to address this enormous knowledge gap.” – Phil Hugenholtz, director of the Australian Centre for Ecogenomics at the University of Queensland, in Australia Read more in… [Read More]
Microbial genomes help propose phylum name
Metagenomicsand single-cell genomics are tools helping researchers learn more about the “biological dark matter” that has not been cultivated and studied in the laboratory. In an article published May 14, 2013 in Nature Communications. [Read More]
A new technique for microbial genome assembly
The DOE Joint Genome Institute is also a national user facility focused on developing tools that more cost-effectively enable the assembly and analysis of the sequence that it generates. [Read More]
Student tools for hands-on genomics and bioinformatics lessons
Driven in part by the increased emphasis to give life sciences students hands-on experience in “real research,” the DOE Joint Genome Institute’s Genomics and Bioinformatics Education Program developed a series of educational modules for undergraduate programs to explore and annotate publicly available microbial genome datasets. Known collectively as the Integrated Microbial Genomes Annotation Collaboration Toolkit… [Read More]
Cheryl Kerfeld on IMG-ACT in The Scientist
“Bioinformatics has become such an integral part of research. And being able to do this, to use these tools in an informed way and in a way that’s somewhat discerning . . . is really important,” explains Cheryl Kerfeld, director of the Genomics and Bioinformatics Education Program at the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome… [Read More]