Drs. J. Touchman (Arizona State Univ), R. Blankenship (Washinton State Univ) and M. Madigan (Southern Illinois Univ.) are carrying out the genome sequencing and metabolic analysis of five photosynthetic prokaryotes. Organisms for this project were chosen to provide significantly wider coverage of genomes of phototrophic taxa than is now available. The broad goals of the project are to use the genomic data to understand the origin and evolution of photosynthesis and to explore mechanisms of the anoxygenic to oxygenic transition. The organisms being sequenced include species that live at low temperature (psychrophilic), high temperature (thermophilic), high pH (alkaliphilic), in environments subject to periodic drying, and environments high in sulfide. The organisms chosen include two heliobacteria, Heliorestis convoluta and Heliophilum fasciatum; four proteobacteria, Rhodoferax antarcticus, Rhodopila globiformis, Blastochloris viridis, and Thermochromatium tepidum; and one cyanobacterium, Leptolyngbya (a.k.a. Oscillatoria) amphigranulata. The proteobacteria include members from the beta and gamma divisions and one that contains bacteriochlorophyll b as its principal photopigment. The finished, annotated genome sequences are being used to fill large gaps in the available genomic data for photosynthetic prokaryotes. The metabolic capabilities of these organisms are also being analyzed using pathway analysis software tools. Each organism has individual characteristics that justify its inclusion in a genome-sequencing project, including evolutionary relationships, agricultural applications and environmental aspects. Dr. Touchman is involved in the Be a Biologist program at ASU. All of the investigators are involving undergraduate and high school students in sequence analysis and annotation activities in their labs.
