WALNUT CREEK, CA–With the advent of more powerful and economical DNA sequencing technologies, gene discovery and characterization is transitioning from single-organism studies to revealing the potential biotechnology applications embedded in communities of microbial genomes, or metagenomes. The field of metagenomics is still in its infancy–the equivalent of the early days of the California Gold Rush,…
Puzzling Plankton Yield Secrets to Role in Evolution/Global Photosynthesis
WALNUT CREEK, CA–The analysis of DNA sequences from tiny green algae have provided new insights into the mystery of how new species of plankton evolve–and further highlights their critical role in managing the global cycling of carbon. These findings, by a group led by the DOE Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI); the Scripps Institution of…
No Pain, DOE Joint Genome Institute Gains Coveted Ergonomics Prize with “Shake ‘N Plate”
WALNUT CREEK, CA–Emerging from a record field of 28 finalists representing many major multinational companies, a team of scientists and engineers from the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) won the 2007 Ergo Cup. DOE JGI’s “Shake ‘N Plate” instrument took the prize for the “team-driven…
DOE JGI Releases Enhanced Genome Data Management System, IMG 2.1, Marking Two-Year Anniversary
WALNUT CREEK, CA–As interest in the rising number of newly characterized microbial genomes mounts, powerful computational tools become critical for the management and analysis of these data to enable strategies for such challenges as harvesting the potential of carbon-neutral bioenergy sources and coping with global climate change. The Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) data management system…
Super-Fermenting Fungus Genome Sequenced
WALNUT CREEK, CA–On the road to making biofuels more economically competitive with fossil fuels, there are significant potholes to negotiate. For cellulosic ethanol production, one major detour has being addressed with the characterization of the genetic blueprint of the fungus Pichia stipitis, by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) and collaborators…
DOE JGI Upgrades IMG/M, the Metagenomics Data Management & Analysis System
WALNUT CREEK, CA–On the one-year anniversary of the launch of the experimental metagenome data management and analysis system, IMG/M, the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has released the latest upgrade. Targeting DOE JGI’s expanding user base, IMG/M provides tools for analyzing the functional capability of microbial communities based on their metagenome…
DOE JGI Releases IMG 2.0 with all Genomes Refreshed from RefSeq
WALNUT CREEK, CA–Version 2.0 of the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) data management system of the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has been released to the public. The content of IMG 2.0 has been entirely refreshed and extended with the latest versions of genomes available from the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s…
Genomic Comparison of Lactic Acid Bacteria Published
WALNUT CREEK, CA–With public concerns at a fevered pitch over the bacterial contamination of spinach, it is easy to lose track of how bland and deprived our world would be without the contribution to our food supply of such benign microbial players as lactic acid-producing bacteria. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome…
Better Sludge through Metagenomics
WALNUT CREEK, CA–Few stop to consider the consequences of their daily ablutions, the washing of clothes, the watering of lawns, and the flush of a toilet. However, wastewater treatment–one of the corner stones of modern civilization–is the largest microbially mediated biotechnology process on the planet. When it works, it is a microbial symphony in tune…
No Guts, No Worries: Worm Enlists Full-Service Microbes for Transportation, Energy, & Waste Management
WALNUT CREEK, CA–Researchers have now characterized the unique lifestyle of a gutless worm that commutes through marine sediments powered by a community of symbiotic microbial specialists harbored just under its skin, obviating the need for digestive and excretory systems. From a species of marine oligochaete worm isolated off of the coast of Elba, the Mediterranean…