1915
Frankia sp. DC12 Genome sequencing and assembly
These strains have several unique features that have potential to contribute to the DOE's missions in energy production, bioremediation and carbon management. These bacteria associate with woody plants that ensures success in stressed environments. They also greatly accelerate growth of the host plant and do the same for neighboring plants indirectly. Thus, they promote biomass and fuelwood accretion. Second, these strains have the ability to colonize nutrient-depleted soils and conferring that ability on the host plants. These actinorhizal plants provide an excellent mechanism to restore disrupted environmental sites. Both the bacteria and host plants are adapted to diverse and extreme climates. Third, there is an untapped potential for bioremediation. The atypical Frankia has the ability to bind and sequester several toxic heavy metals and it has potential remediation and phytoremediation applications especially on heavy-metal-contaminated land. Actinorhizal plants have been successfully used to recolonize and reclaim land that has been industrial wasteland including lands spoiled by metaliferous mine spoils and smelter waste. These bacteria may also remediate other anthropogenic contaminants. This research will provide tools that will help to increase our knowledge of plant-microbial interactions for the actinorhizal system. Single Frankia strains are able to cross-inoculate several different types of plant species. Lastly, actinobactreria produce secondary metabolites that have potential beneficial effects.