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Sinking SOS levels lead to reduced salt tolerance

The Food and Agriculture Organization reported that salt levels in the soil is reducing the world’s agricultural lands at the rate of one percent a year. Concerns over feeding a growing global population with limited arable land have led to interest in developing salt-tolerant crops for food and fuel Found on the seashores of eastern… [Read More]

Metagenomic study of methane in marine microbial communities

Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases and previous studies suggested that it is removed from the atmosphere through aerobic and anaerobic processes with the help of bacteria and archaea. Recent evidence suggests, however, that methane can be removed through other pathways involving as-yet unidentified microbes. To learn more about these pathways and… [Read More]

Genome evolution with the help of plasmid gene pools

Plasmids are DNA molecules that can replicate independently of chromosomal DNA in a cell. This ability allows them to “collect” and move genes, such as through lateral gene transfer, and is a factor that allows prokaryotic genomes to evolve over time. To understand the depth and breadth of this plasmid gene pool in prokaryotes, researchers… [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]

Lessons learned from comparing Cochliobolus fungi

Cochliobolus fungi are cereal grain pathogens in the Dothideomycetes class, and many species are known to infect crops such as corn, rice, barley, wheat and oats, causing severe losses at harvest time and to biomass feedstocks for biofuels. In a study published January 24, 2013 in Plos Genetics, one in a series of publications concerning… [Read More]

A fungal pathogen with a “genetically flexible” genome

In 2012, the damp winter threatened the wheat harvest in the state of Kansas, the nation’s single largest producer of the grain and wheat prices rose by 10 percent as a result. Diseases such as tan spot caused by the fungus Pyrenophoratritici-repentis (Ptr) factored into the reduced wheat harvests. In North Dakota, which ranks second… [Read More]

DOE JGI Science Highlight: Benefits of “diversity-driven genome sequencing” in CyanoGEBA

Despite their miniscule size, cyanobacteria play significant roles in the global carbon and nitrogen cycles. Researchers are also looking at utilizing them for biofuel and biotechnology applications. In an effort to learn more about the diverse strains in this phylum, DOE Joint Genome Institute scientist Cheryl Kerfeldis leading an effort called CyanoGEBAto increase the number… [Read More]

A Gossypium genome to cotton on to cellulose biosynthesis

Growing, processing and manufacturing cotton is a major global industry. In the United States, more than 200,000 domestic jobs are related to cotton production and processing, with an aggregate influence of about $35 billion on the annual U.S. gross domestic product. The fibers that have woven themselves into so many lives, however, are seen by… [Read More]

Lifestyles of a fungal plant pathogen family

The fungi that belong to the Dothideomycetes family are found on every continent and can tolerate a wide range of environmental extremes. Additionally, several of the fungi are plant pathogens that infect nearly every major crop used for food, fiber or fuel. In the December 6, 2012 issue of PLoS Pathogens, an international team led… [Read More]

Fungal pathogens – the common thread between pine and tomato

The disease that causes leaf mold on a tomato was first reported in the 1800s but hasn’t posed a major economic threat for several decades. Needle blight affects pine species around the world, causing severe economic losses. At first glance, the diseases appear unrelated but they are both caused by related fungal plant pathogens from… [Read More]