A research team led by a group at Texas A&M AgriLife Research has released a
draft genome of the fuel-producing green microalga Botryococcus braunii.



According to Dr. Tim Devarenne, AgriLife Research biochemist and principal
investigator in College Station, the alga is colony-forming, with lots of
individual cells growing to form the colony. The cells make lots of
hydrocarbons that can be converted into fuels.

The size of the B. braunii genome is estimated to be about 166 million
bases. The team found about 18,500 genes in the genome, and there are
portions of genes called untranslated regions that are very long. Dr.
Devarenne said it was a challenge to assemble the B. braunii genome because
of lots of repetitive sequences in it.



[today.agrilife.org]
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