Genomics:GTL

Close Window

Meshing GTL’s Approach to ERSD’s Challenges

A Revolutionary Whole-Genome Perspective

Genomic information on cellular metabolism can be incorporated as physiological modules into computer (in silico) models to better understand metabolism, predict cell responses under different environmental conditions, and improve contaminant fate and transport models. Microbes already sequenced by DOE and under intense analysis in GTL have been detected in Environmental Remediation Sciences Division (ERSD) studies of in situ immobilization techniques in the subsurface of uranium-contaminated aquifers. These organisms are closely related to the GTL organisms on which existing physiological modules are based. As additional sequenced organisms become available, similar in silico models could be developed to more accurately model multispecies phenomena. These include syntrophic relationships, anaerobic degradation consortia, and shifts in the dominant terminal electron accepting process (called TEAP) observed in sediments. Although progress is being made, many challenges remain in placing fundamental physiological knowledge in the context of the dynamic flow and transport regimes characteristic of DOE sites.

See the image gallery for a higher-resolution version.

Text adapted from Genomics:GTL Roadmap: Systems Biology for Energy and Environment, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, August 2005. DOE/SC-0090.