Dr. Timothy R. Hoover of the University of Georgia, Dr. Yves V. Brun of Indiana University, and Dr. Naomi Ward of The Institute for Genomic Research have been awarded a grant to sequence the genome of the budding bacterium Hyphomonas neptunium. The goal of the project is to identify and assign potential functions to the genes in H. neptunium. The H. neptunium genome consists of approximately 2.7 million nucleotide base pairs forming about 2,000 genes. Random genomic DNA fragments will be sequenced, and the collected data will be assembled into the complete genomic sequence. Gene identification will be done using an algorithm and potential roles for the gene products will be assigned by comparing the sequences of these products with those in a database of bacterial protein sequences. Genes that match entries in the database will have the corresponding role and gene common name associated with the match assigned to the predicted coding region.
Many bacteria reproduce through a process known as budding. Little is known about budding or associated activities such as chromosome partitioning. Understanding these processes is critical for developing new strategies for controlling the growth of unwanted bacteria or exploiting those with desirable activities. This research will enhance studies on budding by identifying all of the genes within a representative budding bacterium. Researchers can use these data to identify proteins that have roles in budding or associated processes. Interestingly, the budding potential of a newly differentiated stalk cell is limited to about seven budding events; thus H. neptunium can be used as a model for microbial senescence. Such experiments can be adapted to be appropriate for undergraduates, graduate students, or post-doctoral researchers. Thus, this research will provide significant educational opportunities for a wide variety of students. This is a Microbial Genome Sequencing Award funded through a collaborative program between the National Science Foundation and the Department of Agriculture.
