Blanchard, Jeffrey

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Associate Professor, Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences
Last Name
Blanchard
First Name
Jeffrey
Discipline
Biology
Expertise
Climate Change, Biofuels, Clostridia, Microbial Ecology and Evolution, Genomics, Bioinformatics
Global warming and forest soil microbiomes
Renewable biofuels from plant litter using C. phytofermentans and other newly discovered microorganisms
Introduction
Our research program is focused on understanding molecular processes involved in the decomposition of plant material, particular the recalcitrant structures in the plant cell wall. This research has important implications for developing climate change research, cellulosic biofuels and animal health and nutrition. A prominent component of our research is using genomic and computational methods to understand variation in molecular processes. Our laboratory is set up for standard molecular biology and microbial physiology research and contains specialized equipment for working with anaerobic bacteria. Below are descriptions of our current funded project areas.
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    Publication
    Untangling the Genetic Basis of Fibrolytic Specialization by Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae in Diverse Gut Communities
    (2013-01) Biddle, Amy; Stewart, Lucy; Blanchard, Jeffrey; Leschine, Susan
    The Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae are two of the most abundant families from the order Clostridiales found in the mammalian gut environment, and have been associated with the maintenance of gut health. While they are both diverse groups, they share a common role as active plant degraders. By comparing the genomes of the Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae with the Clostridiaceae, a more commonly free-living group, we identify key carbohydrate-active enzymes, sugar transport mechanisms, and metabolic pathways that distinguish these two commensal groups as specialists for the degradation of complex plant material.