Principal Investigator Sallie Chisholm
The marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is the smallest and most abundant photosynthetic cell on the planet. The goal of the lab is to understand this single microbe from the genome to the global scale, thereby developing the field of integrative systems biology. Work centers on the following topics:
(*) The origins, nature and ecological impacts of genomic diversity among Prochlorococcus(*) The metabolic machinery of Prochlorococcus as a model for solar energy conversion(*) The role of viruses in Prochlorococcus ecology(*) The role of ecotypic variation in the dynamics and stability of the global Prochlorococcus population(* )The role of Prochlorococcus in ocean food webs and biogeochemistry
We use the tools of genomics, metagenomics, transcriptomics and proteomics, and we have a vast culture collection of Prochlorococcus and phage as well as the complete genome sequences of 12 Prochlorococcus strains. Regular sampling programs take place off Bermuda and Hawaii, and we participate in research cruises throughout the global oceans.