Genomics Students Co-Author Published Paper in American Society for Microbiology

Students in genomics created their own project this year, where the aim was to isolate, identify, and sequence the genomes of bacteria that were found living in association with wild mushrooms in a local park (Black Creek Park in Chili).

They were particularly interested in these bacteria because fungi often have complex relationships with microbes that live in/on/among them. These relationships can lead to the production of compounds that could potentially be useful in industrial, medical or research applications. By sequencing the DNA of these mushroom-associated bacteria, they hope to provide other researchers with data that can be used to search for novel biochemical pathways.

Students collected and identified mushrooms, used microbiology techniques to isolate and culture bacteria from the mushrooms, and then sequenced the DNA on the Illumina MiSeq.

The paper was published in the ASM journal Microbiology Resource Announcements.

Abstract:
Here, we report the isolation, identification, and whole-genome sequences of 12 bacterial strains associated with four mushroom species. The study was done as an inquiry-based exercise in an undergraduate genomics course (BIOL 340) in the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Paper:
Isolation and Whole-Genome Sequencing of 12 Mushroom-Associated Bacterial Strains: an Inquiry-Based Laboratory Exercise in a Genomics Course at the Rochester Institute of Technology