Ocean Genome Legacy Newsletter
Spring 09
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Greetings!
Welcome to the OGL Newsletter. In the previous issue we described our involvement with several local projects. This time, the focus is farther afield. Please read on . . .
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OGL in Print
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Wood-Eating Genome
Scientists at Ocean Genome Legacy in collaboration with the J. Craig Venter Institute and a team of colleagues from across the nation, have just concluded a project to determine the complete genome (DNA) sequence of the wood-eating bacterium Teredinibacter turnerae. This bacterium is found living in a group of bizarre clams commonly known as shipworms. They get this nickname because of their worm-like shape and their penchant for eating wooden ships, piers, and pilings. It is thought that T. turnerae helps the shipworms eat wood by making enzymes that convert cellulose, the main component of wood, into sugar. Scientists are eager to find out how T. turnerae accomplishes this feat. The same enzymes might be useful for fermenting sugars from waste paper and agricultural byproducts like cornstalks and wheat straw into fuel for cars and trucks. The results of this project will appear in the journal PLoS ONE on July 1.
Above, a false color scanning electron microscope image highlights the flagellated Teredinibacter turnerae.
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Saving the DNA of Coral Reefs
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 Coral Reef Genomic Biodiversity Archive
This year OGL is launching an ambitious campaign to archive the genetic diversity of corals and coral reef associated organisms.
This program, called the Coral Reef Genomic Biodiversity Archive (CRGBA), will preserve DNA from a diverse range of organisms associated with coral reefs. Coral reefs are known as the rainforests of the sea because they support many thousands of species of fish and invertebrates. However, coral reefs all around the globe are rapidly disappearing due to global climate change, habitat destruction, ocean acidification, pollution, and overfishing.
It is important to save the coral reefs, not just because they are incredibly beautiful and interesting, but also because they provide thousands of jobs and billions of
dollars via tourism and fishing industries. Reefs may even be important sources for many kinds of drugs and medicines able to cure disease and improve the quality of life for people around the world. OGL has made it a priority to preserve DNA from these coral organisms before they are gone so that scientists can learn what makes these remarkable creatures tick and can use that information to help save them from extinction. To kick off this campaign OGL is joining with scientists from the Smithsonian Institution, the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, and the Census of Marine Life, to inventory and sample organisms from Australia's coral reefs. The first of these large scale collaborative collections to include OGL was held from May 13-June 3, 2009 on western Australia's remote and spectacular Ningaloo Reef, the largest fringing reef in Australia. OGL scientist Abigail Fusaro worked with more than 15 visiting scientists to collect, identify, and archive genomes from over 800 reef-associated animals. Two more major collection efforts are scheduled over the next 12 months on Australia's famous Great Barrier Reef, and OGL plans to be there to aid in this once in a lifetime chance to document and preserve the these spectacular global treasures. To learn how you can help OGL to document and preserve the spectacular genetic diversity of coral reefs, visit http://www.oglf.org/Support.htmPhoto credit: OGL scientist Koty Sharp shot this image of a coral head on a recent collection trip to Belize.
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| OGL goes to SEA
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 High school teacher spends sabbatical year in the lab and on the high seas
John Wigglesworth, Chair of the Math and
Science Department at the Waring School,
Beverly, MA, is spending his sabbatical year
learning about DNA and the puzzles posed by
life in the sea. As a volunteer at OGL, John
spent seven months learning how
to extract and analyze DNA from marine
animals and investigating better ways to
preserve DNA under the challenging conditions
of shipboard fieldwork. He then got a
chance to test his results!
As a result of a joint program sponsored by
OGL and the Sea Education Association, John
spent six
weeks aboard the SSV Robert C.
Seamans, a research and teaching vessel
operated by SEA. John, along with 20 other students and staff members of
SEA, cruised from Hawaii to Tahiti
collecting specimens and conducting research
projects designed by the students themselves.
John's goal was to test DNA preservation
protocols on a broad range of planktonic
organisms collected during the cruise. Says
John, who was formerly a sea captain and
faculty member at SEA, "This is a really
exciting opportunity to learn new skills and
gain experiences that I can bring back to my
students at Waring."
Visit the Sea Education Association website to learn more about this cruise and to hear podcasts describing this adventure.
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Coming Soon...
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 Barcoding with the Fishes
Ralph Imondi, Linda Santschi, and their
students at the Coastal Marine Biolabs Integrative Biosciences
Program in Ventura, California have been
studying the evolutionary relationships of
rockfish. With 56 species identified in
coastal southern California waters alone,
telling one from another can sometimes be
difficult. Enter DNA barcoding...and OGL.
In this photo, a gopher rockfish (Sebastes
carnatus) explores a bed of strawberry
anemones (Corynactis californica). Image
credit: Dave Greaser.
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would like to subscribe, go to the marked "Subscribe To This
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the window that appears. To learn more about
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Us" in the Quick Link box.
Thanks for your interest !
Sincerely,
Dan Distel
Ocean Genome Legacy |
 exploring, preserving and protecting the genetic diversity of the world's oceans |
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