Microbial Genome Sequencing: Genome Sequencing and Comparative Analysis of the Chemolithoautotrophic Thermophile, Persephonella Marina and it's Terrestrial Relative, AZ-Fu1

波特兰州立大学的Anna-Louise Reysenbach博士和基因组研究所（TIGR）的John Heidelberg博士获得了一项资助，对两种新的嗜热微生物的整个基因组进行测序。该项目将在一年内完成，并作为K-12教师研讨会的教育模板。这些数据将是公开的。这两种微生物很有趣，因为它们关系密切，但其中一种（Persephonella marina）是从太平洋的深海热液喷口分离出来的，另一种（菌株Az-Fu1）是从亚速尔群岛圣米格尔岛的陆地温泉中分离出来的。它们都使用无机化学物质作为能量和碳的来源。在其自然环境中，该组成员经常与矿物沉淀（如硫化铁）联系在一起，这表明它们在从环境中去除污染金属方面的潜在作用。此外，这些分离物在普遍生命树的真细菌域中的深层位置表明，它们可能是研究地球上生命早期进化特征的良好模型。这是一个微生物基因组测序奖，由国家科学基金会和农业部合作项目资助。

Dr. Anna-Louise Reysenbach of Portland State University and Dr. John Heidelberg of The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) have been awarded a grant to sequence the entire genomes of two new heat-loving (thermophilic) microorganisms. The project will be completed in 1 year and serve as an educational template for a K-12 teachers workshop. The data will be publicly available.These two microbes are of interest as they are closely related but one (Persephonella marina) was isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent in the Pacific Ocean and the other (strain Az-Fu1) from a terrestrial hot spring on the island of Sao Miguel, Azores. They both use inorganic chemicals for their energy and their source of carbon. In their natural environment, members of this group are often associated with mineral precipitates such as iron sulfides, pointing to their potential role in removal of contaminating metals from the environment. Furthermore, the deep position of these isolates within the eubacterial domain on the universal tree of life suggests that they may be good models for studying the features of early evolution of life on Earth. This is a Microbial Genome Sequencing Award funded through a collaborative program between the National Science Foundation and the Department of Agriculture.