Coprinus cinereus (renamed Coprinopsis cinerea) growing in the lab. The genome was sequenced, assembled into chromosomes, and annotated and we are working on the final analysis of it to describe some of the interesting biology about this little Coprophilic fungus. I'm excited to put up a few of my pictures of the tiny mushrooms growing in the lab (although others have
Little Coprinus mushroom pictures
Posted on October 3rd, 2007 by Jason Stajich · 1 Comment
Click to continue reading "Little Coprinus mushroom pictures"
Categories: basidiomycota · genome
Genomes on the horizon at JGI
Posted on July 4th, 2007 by Jason Stajich · 1 Comment
Several more fungi are on the docket for sequencing at JGI through their community sequencing program. This includes
- The Dothideomycete leaf streak disease causing fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis
- Soybean rust Phakopsora pachyrhizi
- The Basidiomycete and jelly fungus Tremella mesenterica proposed by Joe Heitman for use as outgroup to the human pathogen Cryptococcus
- The plant pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus proposed by Gillian Turgeon which ironically was already sequenced
Categories: NRPS · aspergillus · basidiomycota · chytridomycota · cryptococcus · dothideomycetes · fungi · genome · genome sequencing · neurospora · pathogens · plant pathogen · rumen · rusts · saccharomyces
Genome of Postia placenta
Posted on June 12th, 2007 by Jason Stajich · 1 Comment
The JGI has released the genome sequence and annotation of the Basidiomycete brown rot Postia placenta. Brown rotters can only break down cellulose but do not degrade lignin that white rotters (like Phanerochaete chrysosporium).
Using total genomic DNA from dikaryotic strain MAD-698, the JGI generated 571,000 reads that assembled into 1243 haplotype scaffolds, with 85 of these scaffolds covering half of the genome sequence.
Categories: basidiomycota · genome · genome sequencing
The world's largest organism
Posted on June 11th, 2007 by sharpton · 2 Comments
Take a guess: what's the world's largest organism? No, it's not Yao Ming. While the Guiness Book of World Records hasn't weighed in on this issue, scientists out of Oregon State University say that an Armillaria ostoyae individual residing in Oregon's Blue Mountains is the largest living organism on the planet. Covering 2,200 acres, this tree killing fungus certainly is big.
Categories: basidiomycota · fungi
Fungal tree of life papers
Posted on May 15th, 2007 by Jason Stajich · No Comments
Lots of papers in Mycologia (subscription required) this month of different groups analyzing the fine-scale relationships of many different fungal clades using the loads of sequences that were generated as part of the Fungal Tree of Life project.
Categories: basidiomycota · chytridomycota · euriotiomycetes · fungi · glomeromycota · phylogenetics · s.pombe · saccharomyces · yeast · zygomycete
Fungus could cause a food shortage
Posted on April 25th, 2007 by sharpton · 2 Comments
A while back, Jason blogged briefly on a New Scientists article about the rise of a new Puccinia graminis strain, Ug99, that is spreading through West African wheat fields at an enormous rates. It looks like this story is growing in the scientific conciousness, as Science is now running an article on the spread of this wheat pandemic.
Categories: adaptation · basidiomycota · evolution · fungi · news · plant pathogen · rusts
Puccinia black stem rust disease spreading
Posted on April 8th, 2007 by Jason Stajich · 3 Comments
The New Scientist has an article about the spread of black stem rust caused by Puccinia graminis. We briefly mentioned the 1st release of a Puccinia genome in January. Some more links about the spread of the Ug99 virulent strain.
- SeedQuest
- USDA information
- USDA information on Barberry & Puccinia graminis where the sexual stage of the fungus occurs.
Categories: basidiomycota · plant pathogen · rusts
Fungi for bioremediation
Posted on February 21st, 2007 by Jason Stajich · No Comments
Saprophytic fungi degrade organic matter to release carbon, nitrogen, and other elements locked up in complexes. There is interest in better degradation of recalictrant ligin and cellulose plant matter as part of a bioenergy program. Some fungi are able to break down these plant molecules that would otherwise remain behind when left to digestion by bacteria.
Many studies have shown the breadth and efficiency of different fungi in degradation
Categories: basidiomycota · bioremediation · fungi