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Content Tagged "metagenomics"

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]

C&EN covers microbiomes for biofuels development

Any new technology that emerges from animal microbiome mining would need to improve upon the proprietary enzyme systems already in companies’ arsenals. For example, enzyme company Novozymes is already marketing cellulase enzymes from Trichoderma reesei, a fungus originally discovered because it was degrading cotton military uniforms and canvas tents in the South Pacific during World War… [Read More]

A photosynthetic pathway for mats under anoxic conditions

Many microbes are unculturablebecause they do not thrive when extracted from their habitats. Studies conducted within the context of a group allows researchers to see the interactions taking place and use the clues provided to identify the individual roles of the microorganisms. Photosynthetic microbial mats fix carbon in the day, but it turns out that… [Read More]

Yellowstone yields novel achaeon and candidate Archaea phylum

When a third branch to the Tree of Life was proposed several decades ago, the evidence used to support the need to recognize the kingdom Archaea came in the form of two divisions of organisms that could not be categorized as Eukaryotes or Bacteria. Since then, several more archaeal phyla have been recognized, many of them… [Read More]

(De)Coupling marine microbial abundance and activity levels

Prochlorococcus count among the most abundant species of tiny cyanobacteria in the oceans. An estimated 100 million cells of this unicellular organism can be found in a single liter of seawater, and these cyanobacteria help remove some 10 billion tons of carbon from the atmosphere every year. A long-held assumption has been that the size… [Read More]

IMG v4 announcement in GenomeWeb

The Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute has released a fourth version of the Integrated Microbial Genomes system, which serves as a community resource for analyzing and annotating genome and metagenome datasets….IMG currently contains 11,753 total genomes, plasmids and genome fragments; 2,075 metagenome samples; and 2,372 genomes and 804 metagenome samples in IMG/ER and IMG/M-ER,… [Read More]

Targeted metagenomics approach pins down role of “wild” alga

Marine microbes play key roles in cycling carbon between the atmosphere and the ocean depths, but little is known about their populations throughout the waters. As global temperatures change, so do these populations, which in turn impacts their contributions to the carbon cycle. Researchers want to learn more about these effects, but one of the… [Read More]

Prototypical genomic study of Plant-Microbe Interaction

Instead of using dangerous and toxic pesticides or expensive fertilizers, farmers may one day use microbes to fully manage diseases in soil. Already the microbial community in and surrounding plant roots fights pests and manages carbon and other soil nutrients, ultimately contributing to plant health and growth. What’s more, they aid plants in sequestering pollutants…. [Read More]

Arabidopsis root microbiome project: release from University of Queensland

Led by the University of North Carolina and the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, the research studied the microbiome in soil around the roots of more than 600 Arabidopsis thaliana plants. The team, which included The University of Queensland Professor Philip Hugenholtz, investigated how the microbiome helps shuttle nutrients and information into and out… [Read More]