John Vogel

Staff Scientist, JGI
Deputy Director for Science, EGSB
Adjunct Professor, UC Berkeley, PMB

Science Programs

Secondary Affiliation: Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology

Molecular EcoSystems Biology

Building: 91, Room 250L
Mail Stop: 100PGF100
Phone: (925) 296-5761
Fax: (925) 296-5752
JPVogel@lbl.gov
http://jgi.doe.gov/our-science/scientists-jgi/plant-functional-genomics/

Programs & Initiatives

Plant Functional Genomics at JGI
Microbes to Biomes (M2B)

Research Interests

Dr. Vogel’s research is focused on developing plant functional genomic resources and utilizing these resources to understand genome organization and regulation, abiotic stress tolerance, plant-microbe interactions, and the molecular basis of perenniality. Most projects in his lab utilize B. distachyon and related species as model systems to develop knowledge that will ultimately be used to improve biomass crops like switchgrass. Major projects currently underway include: 1) Defining the pan-genome of B. distachyon through de-novo assembly and annotation of 100 natural accessions 2) Using a trio of Brachypodium species as a model for polyploidy in order to understand polyploid genome evolution and regulation 3) Using a defined microbiome to identify plant genes that influence the composition and function of the root microbiome 4) Determining the molecular mechanism of engineered resistance to multiple abiotic stresses and the molecular basis of perenniality using the perennial model grass Brachypodium sylvaticum 5) Developing a comprehensive collection of defined grass mutants by sequencing chemical and radiation induced mutants.

Selected Publications

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From the Molecular to the Mesoscale: The EcoPOD Provides A New Way to Link Plants, Soil, and Microbes

June 1, 2021

On May 25, Berkeley Lab and Biosciences Area leadership officially welcomed the EcoPOD to its home at Potter Street in West Berkeley. The Lab’s Deputy Director for Research Horst Simon and Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences Mary Maxon opened the doors of the EcoPOD after Maxon cut the ceremonial ribbon.

JGI Helps Make Case for Plant Pan-genomes

August 25, 2020

Flowering plants abide by the concept, “the more the merrier,” with respect to their genomes. In their base state, they are diploids with two genome copies, one from each parent. Having three or more genome copies from additional parents or duplication, also known as “polyploidy,” is common amongst flowering plants. Crop breeders have harnessed polyploidy to increase fruit and flower size, and confer stress tolerance traits. In Nature Communications, a multi-institutional team led by researchers at Spain’s Universidad de Zaragoza and the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI) relied on a model grass system (Brachypodium) to learn more about the origins, evolution and development of plant polyploids. Read more on the JGI website.

JGI Team Helps Uncover Sorghum’s Secrets for Drought Tolerance

December 2, 2019

Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench is an African grass that adroitly handles droughts, floods and poor soils. While sorghum is drought-tolerant, the crop’s precise response is dependent on when exactly water becomes a limiting factor – before or after flowering. Reported in PNAS the week of December 2, 2019, is the first paper that describes sorghum’s response to drought, from a large-scale field experiment led by a multi-institutional consortium to uncover the mechanisms behind sorghum’s capacity to produce high yields despite drought conditions. Read the full highlight on the JGI website.