DOE '99 Oakland Highlights
Meeting Intro
HGP Progress, Challenges
Joint Genome Institute
JGI Facility Opening
Sequencing
Device Speeds Sequencing
Chromosome 19 Genes
Functional Genomics
Sample Prep System
Informatics
Education & Bioethics
Microbial Genomes
Next Meeting Feb. 2000

Genome Project
Accelerated Timetable
FY1999 Budgets
JGI Refits Facility
Progress

In the News 
 Drosophila Near Completion
Directors, Researchers Receive Awards
Chromosomes 21, 22 Near Finish
Human MHC Region Sequenced
Mouse Probes Aid Mapping
Genetic Testing Committee
DOE Labs & Biomedicine
Biomedical Engineering Proposals
Drug Firms Create SNP Resource
SBIR 1999 Awards
HUGO News
1999 Hollaender Winners

Microbial Genomics 
EcoCyc Database for E. coli
Developing EcoCyc
Thermotoga Sequence
Clostridium Sequenced
Microbial Gene Finder
Neisseria Sequence
Microbial Web Sites

Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues
Education, Counseling Foundation
 ELSI Studies
ELSI Retrospective
Protecting Privacy

Informatics 
MGI 2.2 Released
DNA Repository

Web, Other Resources, Publications 
Metabolic Pathways
New Staden Package
PDB Newsletter
Polymorphism Database
Bacterial Protein Database
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Microbial Genomics

Thermotoga Sequence Presented

Early Analysis Suggests Gene Exchange Between Kingdoms

In May, researchers led by Karen Nelson (The Institute for Genomic Research) reported obtaining the complete 1.8-Mb genomic sequence of the heat-loving bacterium Thermotoga maritima, first isolated from geothermally heated marine sediment in Vulcano, Italy. Early analysis reveals some unusual features that could affect our understanding of how earth's simplest life forms evolved.

The three major life groups or kingdoms are eubacteria and archaea, which include the simplest life forms lacking a central nucleus; and the more complex eucaryota, which include animals and plants. T. maritima has been considered one of the deepest and most slowly evolving lineages in the eubacteria kingdom.

Authors of the May 27 article in Nature (399, 323-29) reported that almost a quarter of T. maritima's genes are similar to those found in archaea, with 81 archaeal-style genes clustered in 15 genomic regions. These results pose new questions about defining organisms that have mosaic-like genomes, with features shared across two domains. The authors note that these findings do not necessarily reflect a closely shared common ancestor but could point instead to lateral gene transfers.

Because of growing evidence for a high frequency of gene transfers and a lack of agreement in different phylogenetic (evolutionary) analyses on individual genes, the authors suggest that sequence comparisons of individual genes may be inaccurate indicators of organismal evolution. Relationships among the eubacteria and archaea willbe understood better as other microbial genomes are fully sequenced and analyzed. [For data and requests for Nature reprints, see www.tigr.org/tdb/CMR/btm/htmls/SplashPage.html]

The electronic form of the newsletter may be cited in the following style:
Human Genome Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Human Genome News (v10n3-4).