100DGP

Research Directions:

Functional and Comparative genomics

Description:

Diatoms, a class of microalgae, are found in nearly all marine and freshwater habitats and are the most species-rich algal class, with at least 100,000 species. They are important to the world's eco-system and contribute to 20 per cent of global carbon fixation and oxygen production. However, with genomic information from only about 10 diatoms, our ability to harness their unique biology is very limited. This new project will sequence 100 diatom species to provide insights into their roles as key players for capturing carbon dioxide and as the foundation of diverse aquatic food webs.  The ‘100 Diatom Genomes Project’ is one of 27 proposals to be supported through the annual Community Science Program (CSP) call of the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI), which makes large-scale genomics available to researchers studying relevant issues in energy and environment. The three-year project involves more than 20 collaborators, coordinated by Prof. Thomas Mock from the UoEast Anglia – Norwich, UK. It is one of several accepted proposals that reflect JGI’s interest in algal research for bioenergy production and algae’s roles in nutrient cycling.” Collaborators will cultivate diatoms and/or extract nucleic acids (e.g. RNA) in their laboratory and send cell/nucleic acid samples for sequencing and bioinformatics analysis offered by JGI (i.e. in-kind).