A new project gets some positive developments! Graduate student Aman Pruthi is hard at work extracting high molecular weight DNA from Bryum argenteum. This moss species grows worldwide on all seven continents, but is becoming a nuisance for golf course managers. The silver-threaded moss likes to take over putting greens, crowding out the turf grass.
Along with collaborators Zane Raudenbush (Ohio State) and Lloyd Stark (University of Nevada Las Vegas), this project is funded by the United States Golf Association. We’re aiming to understand the population genetics of the golf course invasions, so we’re sequencing the Bryum argenteum genome to serve as a reference for population-level sampling. Aman will also be using the genome to characterize and examine the evolution of small RNAs in mosses.
Together with our indepsensible lab manager Haley Hale, Aman was able to get a high concentration of HMW DNA from our Bryum argenteum cultures. Next stop: long-read genome sequencing!
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| Bryum argenteum growing on agar in the Biology greenhouse |
Aman grinds Bryum tissue to a powder using liquid nitrogen |
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| Powderized Bryum argenteum |
High molecular weight on the gel! |