Ocean Microbes Sequenced

February 10, 2006 -- Scientists have sequenced the genomes of planktonic microbes living in a particular area of the Pacific Ocean. Such microbes play a critical role in the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur cycles that support life on Earth. By examining their genetic makeup, researchers can better understand the processes that occur at different depths of the ocean.

The team of researchers sequenced 64 million base pairs of organisms they collected from depths between 40 feet and more than 13,000 feet deep. Scientists determined the chemical changes these microbes cause at varying ocean depths by studying their genetic information, which has been unavailable until now. They found that the organisms formed distinct microbial ecosystems serving very different functions depending on where they were collected, how much light was there, and the presence of different chemicals at each depth.

Several National Research Council reports deal with marine genomics. Marine Biotechnology in the Twenty-First Century: Problems, Promise, and Products recommends using genome sequencing, functional genomics, and proteomics to "model" marine species to help build a better understanding of the ocean environment and contribute to drug discovery and development.

Exploration of the Seas: Voyage into the Unknown recommends an international and interdisciplinary initiative to further explore the ocean, including genomic research of ocean microbes.

• Marine Biotechnology in the Twenty-First Century: Problems, Promise, and Products (2002)
• Exploration of the Seas: Voyage into the Unknown (2003)

• National Science Foundation Press Release