Kim Worley from Baylor’s Human Genome Sequencing Center describes the improvement of the sooty mangabey primate genome. Sooty mangabey is a model organism for HIV research, since this particular primate can be infected with the immunodeficiency virus and never develop any symptoms. Worley and her team used PacBio long reads in conjunction with their own assembly tool, PBJelly, closing 64% and improving another 19% of the gaps.
Judson Ward, principal scientists at Driscoll’s Strawberries in California, introduces a genome assembly for Potentilla micrantha, which is closely related to strawberry but lacks fleshy ‘fruits’ or berries. Comparative genomics between P. micrantha and strawberry will yield significant information regarding the genetic mechanisms controlling fruit development. Using SMRT Sequencing Driscoll’s sequenced the 240 Mb P. micaranthagenome and produced a draft genome assembly, spanning the majority of the predicted sequence length. A comparison of sequence data produced using the Illumina HiSeq2000 and the PacBio RS platform demonstrated that PacBio sequencing produced a significantly longer N50 contig size and permitted a more complete genome…
Simon Chan, UC Davis on how PacBio long read sequencing revealed higher order repeats in centromeres of switchgrass which would have been hidden if you are restricted by the much shorter Sanger reads.
UC Davis’s Bart Weimer describes foodborne pathogens and their proclivity for rapid genome rearrangement. The 100K Pathogen Genome Project he leads is using PacBio long-read sequencing to close genomes and analyze methylation; Weimer reports that his team has already discovered new epigenetic modifications in Salmonella and Listeria with the technology.
How does the PacBio sequencer produce epigenetic data? CSO Jonas Korlach describes how the technology works, which DNA modifications can be detected, and gives examples of kinetic signatures for various modifications and their associated target motifs.
Sebastian Suerbaum from Hannover Medical School shows that genome-wide methylation patterns in Helicobacter pylori are highly complex and diverge significantly between strains of the microbe. He presents a full-methylome analysis of two H. pylori strains, finding 32 total methylated motifs with just seven shared between strains. Of the 32 motifs, 11 were new discoveries.
Brian Anton from New England BioLabs presents data on methylation analysis using SMRT Sequencing. He describes both restriction-modification systems and orphan methylases, noting that the number of methylases characterized has more than tripled since the introduction of SMRT Sequencing. The presentation includes a phylogenetic analysis of methyltransferase genes
Garth Ehrlich from the Center for Genomic Sciences at Allegheny Singer Research Institute reports on new studies of pneumococcal epigenetics. Streptococcus pneumonia, which causes more than 1.6 million deaths annually, has a highly plastic genome. Methylation analysis with SMRT Sequencing found a novel modification in addition to the expected epigenetic changes.
Epigenetics expert Michael Jennings from Griffith University first posited the phasevarion, or the phase variable regulon mechanism in host-adapted pathogens. This mechanism switches expression of multiple genes in a coordinated fashion and has significant implications on pathogen virulence. In his talk, Jennings describes the phasevarion and his use of whole methylome data to rapidly identify methylation targets.
Peter Evans from the US FDA shares insights on whole-genome sequencing for bacteria of importance to public health. Comparing data across PacBio, 454, and MiSeq sequencers, he says having closed genomes, long reads, and methylation patterns are critical for gleaning comprehensive information about a microbe.
In this presentation, Greg Harhay from the USDA offers data on pathogens involved in bovine respiratory disease complex, known as “shipping fever.” His team used PacBio sequencing to analyze several isolates from two different pathogens, looking at their DNA sequence and methylation patterns.