Genome sequencing evidences nature, roles of microorganisms in carbon cycle, other bio processes

Scientist Kuske talks about Lab-funded new research on radio

Cheryl Kuske speaks on KRSN 1490 AM. Photo by Tatjana Rosev of the Communications Office.

Feb. 24, 2010—Lab scientist Cheryl Kuske spoke about her Lab-funded research project, “A New Approach to Unravel Complex Microbial Community Processes,” on local radio station 1490 AM Monday. Kuske and her team are harnessing the Lab’s metagenomics capabilities to identify microorganisms found in soil and discover the roles they play in a myriad of important biological processes, such as the global carbon cycle.

Metagenomics capabilities

For years, researchers have been trying to develop mathematical models of the carbon cycle, but the role that soil plays in the process remained the big unknown, said Kuske, who works in the Lab's Bioscience Division. Now, thanks to advances in the field, much more comprehensive studies of various soils and the microbial communities they host are possible. "The technology has just exploded," she said. Examples of recent technological breakthroughs are LANL's novel capabilities in metagenomics (a new field that studies genetic material recovered from environmental samples) and high-throughput genome sequencing.

"We're not able to grow most of the microorganisms we study, and so we use the Lab's molecular tools to track them. Thanks to LANL's capabilities, we're able to identify microorganisms by looking at thousands of DNA base pairs at a time when, before, we were only able to look at a few," Kuske said.

Tiny powerhouses

The microorganisms Kuske and her team study, such as fungi and bacteria, are so small that billions are contained in one gram of soil as large as a human thumbnail, she said. Although we can't see them, these tiny powerhouses work tirelessly to decompose soil, cycle nitrogen and carbon, store and release nutrients, break down plant matter into materials that may be used to manufacture biofuels, and remove pollutants from water before it reaches underground or surface water.

Kuske, who said she tells people who ask her what she does for a living, “I play with dirt,” noted that her current project is funded through the Lab’s Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program.

DOE project

She's also involved in a larger DOE project that looks at the effects of elevated carbon dioxide levels on soil communities. Findings from that research have shown that although microorganisms don't adapt to changed conditions, they respond quickly. "Microorganisms just hunker down and sit through the hard times," she said.

Listen to the interview here.