Press Release: June 20, 2007

DOE JGI Upgrades its Microbial Genome Analysis System

WALNUT CREEK, CA--Rising to accommodate the scientific community’s interest in harnessing the potential of the microbial world, the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has made Version 2.2 of the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) data management system available to the public.

The new version of IMG contains a total of 2,815 genomes consisting of 687 bacteria, 41 archaea, 24 eukaryotes, 1,661 bacterial phages, and 402 plasmids not associated with a specific microbial genome sequencing project. Among these genomes, 2,558 are finished and 257 are draft genomes. IMG 2.2 contains 227 microbial genomes sequenced at JGI, consisting of 131 finished and 96 draft genomes.

IMG 2.2 also features enhanced data exploration and analysis capabilities, including extended Analysis Carts.

IMG, accessible to the public at http://img.jgi.doe.gov/, is the result of a collaboration between the DOE JGI and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Biological Data Management and Technology Center (BDMTC).

IMG continues to be updated on a quarterly basis with new public and JGI genomes. The next update is scheduled for September 2007.

The DOE Joint Genome Institute, supported primarily by the DOE Office of Science, is among the world leaders in whole-genome sequencing projects devoted to microbes and microbial communities, model system vertebrates, aquatic organisms, and plants. Established in 1997, DOE JGI now unites the expertise of four national laboratories, Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge, along with the Stanford Human Genome Center to advance the frontiers of genome sequencing and related biology.

For more information, contact
David Gilbert
DOE JGI Public Affairs Manager
(925) 296-5643
degilbert@lbl.gov