Three publications are featured in the Special 10th Anniversary issue. The Science: To mark its 10th anniversary, the journal Nature Methods released a Special Issue highlighting impactful articles. Among these noteworthy articles are three from DOE JGI researchers. The Impact: Microbial Sequencing is one of the areas of methods development highlighted by the journal, and… [Read More]

Water availability is often a factor in how variants of plant species evolve. The Science: Researchers statistically mapped regions of the panic grass genome linked to morphological traits such as thriving under scarce (xeric) or moderate (mesic) water availability. The information lends insights into how ecotypes are formed as evolving populations of a species adapt… [Read More]

A publicly available repository allows genomics researchers to compare multiple assemblers. The Science: A repository of genome assemblers is being developed to automate the process of selecting the best assembler for the task at hand. The Impact: There are many different genome assemblers being introduced and touted. On the nucleotid.es site (http://nucleotid.es/), the test results… [Read More]

Analysis track origins of algal light sensors to a shared ancestor approximately one billion years ago. The Science: Researchers determined the origin of a group of protein-based light sensors in land plants and a series of related phytoplankton by sequencing and comparing RNA in these genomes. The Impact: Marine phytoplankton are considered responsible for roughly… [Read More]

Many unannotated genes identified through sequencing multiple lines of the model grass. The Science Researchers used deep sequencing to look at whole-genome sequence variation in seven lines of the model grass Brachypodium distachyon and found previously unannotated genes. They also looked at genome-wide gene expression under drought-stress conditions. The Impact Hundreds of genes not present… [Read More]

Metagenomics and single-cell genomics are providing the first substantial genomic data on uncultured microbes in extreme environments. The Science: Genomes from novel lineages of bacteria and archaea in extreme environments have become accessible through techniques such as metagenomics and single-cell genomics. The Impact: Applying single-cell genomics and metagenomics toward uncultivated microbes in extreme environments has… [Read More]

How a cyanobacterial strain adapts to boost photosynthesis efficiency under various light conditions. The Science: Researchers sequence the genome of a cyanobacterial strain isolated from hot springs near Yellowstone National Park and conduct gene expression and metabolic studies to understand how it adapts to utilize far-red light to photosynthesize. The Impact: Understanding how cyanobacteria utilize… [Read More]

Single-cell genomics sheds light on nutrient and carbon cycling in Actinobacteria. The Science: Researchers assembled and compared draft genomes of acI Actinobacteria from single cells collected in four freshwater lakes in the United States and Europe. The Impact: The single cells collected represented three different acI tribes of Actinobacteria, allowing researchers to learn more about… [Read More]

Differences between genome sequences warrant fungal reclassifications. The Science: Researchers sequenced four samples of Aureobasidium fungi from various regions of the world to learn more about their potential biotechnological applications. The Impact: Comparative genomic analyses reveal genes that make the fungi capable of adapting to a wide range of environments and stresses, which can be… [Read More]

Comparative analyses reveal gene family conserved across multiple yeast lineages. The Science: Researchers conducted a comparative analysis of nearly 60 fungal genomes to determine the genetic traits that enabled the convergent evolution of yeasts. The Impact: The analyses suggest that a conserved zing-finger transcription factor family allowed yeasts to become the dominant form in multiple… [Read More]