New paper from Eisen Lab – on ” The Genome Encyclopedia of Spacecraft Associated Microbes (GESAM)” project 

New data report paper out from my lab and others. Basically this is a report of genome sequences and some other measures such as MLADIMALDI-TOF) of bacteria isolated by NASA from some of their spacecraft (before they were sent to space).

See “Draft Genome Sequences of Spacecraft-Associated Microbes Isolated from Six NASA Missions” https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mra.01011-22.

Tran MT, Seuylemezian A, Wright A, Coil D, Eisen J, Guan L. Draft Genome Sequences of Spacecraft-Associated Microbes Isolated from Six NASA Missions. Microbiol Resour Announc. 2023 Feb 22:e0101122. doi: 10.1128/mra.01011-22. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36840549.

This paper was from a collaboration between my lab (Alonna Wright – who was a PhD student in my lab and who just got her doctorate recently, David Coil – who was my lab manager and is now the Public Health Coordinator at UC Davis- and me) and researchers at the Jet Propulsion Lab (Michelle Tran, Arman Seuylemezian and Lisa Guan).

Abstract: Whole-genome sequencing can be used to better understand and assess the functional abilities of microorganisms isolated from spacecraft hardware and associated surfaces for planetary protection (PP) purposes. We sequenced 191 isolates from 6 spaceflight missions with PP requirements and identified them using Illumina-based sequencing methods and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry.

Author: Jonathan Eisen

I am an evolutionary biologist and a Professor at U. C. Davis. (see my lab site here). My research focuses on the origin of novelty (how new processes and functions originate). To study this I focus on sequencing and analyzing genomes of organisms, especially microbes and using phylogenomic analysis View all posts by Jonathan Eisen