Group Contacts
|
B-6 is Home to the LANL Component of the DOE Joint Genome InstituteLANL is the second largest partner institution of the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (DOE-JGI), and specializes in high throughput genome finishing and analysis in support of DOE missions in energy, bioremediation and carbon sequestration. This group is comprised of molecular biology labs and computational staff who together focus on the high-throughput DNA sequencing of whole microbial genomes, computational finishing and bioinformatics. The applications team focuses on the use of new sequencing technologies to address questions in environmental science. In addition to supporting the DOE mission, this group supports the Nation’s national security mission by sequencing critical pathogens and near neighbors in support of relevent application areas. What's New?Educational outreach through the Science Educational Alliance
Genome studies reveal insight into unique soil bacterial phylumMembers of the bacterial phylum, Acidobacteria, were found to be dominant members of the soil microbial community, when LANL scientists [Cheryl Kuske (B-6) and colleagues] and others discovered them in environmental surveys using molecular techniques over a decade ago. Although Acidobacteria have been detected by DNA-based techniques in all soils and sediments worldwide and in a wide variety of marine and freshwater environments, they have been extremely difficult to culture using standard microbiology techniques. Several thousand sequence types exist in nature, yet less than six isolated species have been cultured and characterized. Because of the difficulty culturing this group of microbes, little is known about their biology, physiology or roles in the environment. However, the abundance of acidobacteria in soils and their ability to withstand polluted and extreme environments suggest that they play important roles in cycling carbon and other processes affecting plant growth and terrestrial ecosystems. Read more... |
B-6 Teams
Focus on ResearchLinks / Resources |
As a partner in Science Educational Alliance, the LANL Joint Genome Institute (LANL-JGI) provided teacher training and sequencing to twelve participating universities as part of a first-year course, called “Phage Genomics Research Initiative”. Lance Green and Olga Chertkov (B-6) trained the participants on sample handling and preparation to isolate and purify high quality phage genomic DNA from mycobacteria found in soil.