NSF PR 00-69 - October 2, 2000
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International Research Group Sequences Genome of Ubiquitous
Microbe
A team of scientists funded by the National Science
Foundation (NSF) has completed the genome sequence
of Halobacterium species NRC-1, a microorganism
that is among the most ancient forms of life. The
achievement is especially significant due to this
bacterium's widespread use as a model for genetic
manipulation.
Results appear in the October 3 edition of the journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(PNAS). The research was led by microbial geneticist
Shiladitya DasSarma at the University of Massachusetts
at Amherst in collaboration with molecular biotechnologist
Leroy Hood at the Institute of Systems Biology in
Seattle. DasSarma and Hood led a consortium of researchers
from 12 universities and research centers in the U.S.,
Canada and the U.K. on the three-year, $1.2-million
project.
NSF program director Joanne Tornow says that the goal
of NSF's Microbial Genetics research is to spur the
development of such genomic studies. "Genomic projects
have produced a great deal of data, but we're just
getting to the point where we can find answers to
a lot of the most interesting biology questions,"
she said. "Every day, we learn more about functional,
comparative and structural genomics. These data will
allow us to ask questions we couldn't ask before."
Halobacterium NRC-1 is a member of the archaea,
the third branch of biological life; the other two
branches are eukaryotes (which include animals and
plants) and bacteria. Archaea are referred to as "extremophilic"
because they thrive in extreme environments -- for
example, under high pressure, low temperature, high
acidity or other conditions. Halobacteria
are called "halophiles" because they thrive in environments
10 times saltier than seawater.
When part of a salt-water body such as the Great Salt
Lake or the Dead Sea turns bright pink or red, it
often indicates the presence of Halobacteria.
Just one cubic centimeter of water can contain millions
of the single-cell, rod-shaped microorganisms whose
red pigment can stay visible in salt crystals left
behind long after a lake dries up. Halobacteria
convert sunlight to energy, giving off a red byproduct
whose light sensitivity makes it commercially useful
in possible applications such as information storage
for computers.
"Genome studies on Halobacterium should contribute
toward some of the greatest unsolved mysteries of
biology today, including our understanding of evolution
as well as of the fundamental life process in higher
cells," says DasSarma. "There is a tremendous genetic
resource in the genomes of microorganisms. In fact,
it is one of the last, largely untapped natural resources
on our planet."
DasSarma adds, "These tiny creatures will provide many
insights into how more complex creatures manage life
functions, including cell division, and the way cells
transport proteins across biological membranes. Right
now, several biomedical applications using Halobacterium
are being investigated, including the development
of orally administered vaccines and the design of
new antibiotics."
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