ASU SoLS Faculty: Jeffrey W. Touchman

Comparative Microbial Genomics

I perform research in the area of comparative genomics, which can be described as the study of genomes from different organisms to understand what, at the molecular level, distinguishes different life forms from each other, how the overall structures of genes and genomes have evolved, and what these findings tell us about gene expression and regulation. A particular thrust of research in my lab involves microbial comparative genomics.

Over the last fifteen years, knowledge of microorganisms has ushered in the molecular biology revolution, culminating in the tools that enabled the success of the human genome project. But never has the relationship between humans and other living things in the ecosystem been more critical to understand. From identifying and containing bioterrorism threats, to ecological remediation, to incisive advances against infectious diseases, research of microbial species sets the infrastructure for scientific advances, enhances national security, and catalyzes economic development through agricultural improvements.

In an effort to provide tangible societal benefits through improved understanding of global photosynthetic productivity, my lab is sequencing and studying the complete genomes of four phototrophic microbial species: Heliobacterium modesticaldum, Roseobacter denitrificans, Rhodocista centenaria, and Acaryochloris marina. The complete genome sequences of these organisms fill large gaps in the available genomic data for photosynthetic prokaryotes and provide a complete genetic framework for intensive study of these organisms. In addition, the comparative analysis of the resulting DNA sequence information is helping us to understand the origin and early evolution of photosynthesis, with potential agricultural applications.

Dr. Touchman is also an Investigator and Director of DNA Sequencing at The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix, AZ.

Recent Selected Publications

Swingley W.D., Chen M, Cheung P.C., Conrad A.L., Dejesa L.C., Hao J., Honchak B.M., Karbach L.E, Kurdoglu A., Lahiri S., Mastrian S.D., Miyashita H., Page L., Ramakrishna P., Satoh S., Sattley W.M., Shimada Y., Taylor H.L., Tomo T., Tsuchiya T., Wang Z.T., Raymond J., Mimuro M., Blankenship R.E., and Touchman J.W. Niche adaptation and genome expansion in the chlorophyll d-producing cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105(6):2005-10 (2008)

Trent J.M. and Touchman J.W. The gene topography of cancer. Science 318(5853):1079-80. (2007)

Carpten J.D. et al. A transforming mutation in the pleckstrin homology domain of AKT1 in cancer. Nature 448:439-444. (2007)

Touchman J. W., Wagner D. M., Hao J., Mastrian S. D., Shah M. K., Vogler A. J., Allender C. J., Clark E. A., Benitez D. S., Youngkin D. J., Girard J. M., Auerbach R. K., Beckstrom-Sternberg S. M., and Keim P. A North American Yersinia pestis Draft Genome Sequence: SNPs and Phylogenetic Analysis. PLoS ONE 2:e220. (2007)

Swingley W.D., Gholba S., Mastrian S.D., Matthies H.J., Hao J., Ramos H., Acharya C.R., Conrad A.L., Taylor H.L., Dejesa L.C., Shah M.K., O’Huallachain M.E., Lince M.T., Blankenship R.E., Beatty J.T., and Touchman J.W. The complete genome sequence of Roseobacter denitrificans reveals a mixotrophic rather than photosynthetic metabolism. J Bacteriol 189:683-690. (2007)

Wang T., Xue G., and Touchman J.W. Modeling gene functional linkages with two-level simulated annealing. Int J Bioinformatics Res and Applications 3(2): 170-186. (2007)

Verrelli, B. C., S. A. Tishkoff, A. C. Stone and Touchman J.W.
Contrasting Histories of G6PD Molecular Evolution and Malarial Resistance in Humans and Chimpanzees. Mol Biol Evol 23(8): 1592-160.
(2006)