From crop improvement to breeding healthier livestock to modeling human disease, scientists are using PacBio Sequencing to advance understanding of plant and animal genomes. In this article, we look at four examples of plant and animal genome references improved or made possible with SMRT Sequencing, including an early example of transcriptome sequencing of a chicken for improved annotation. These examples highlight insights gained with SMRT Sequencing that are missed with short-read data, such as complex regions or novel genes.
Single Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT) Sequencing offers affordable characterization of complete microbial genomes and populations. With this technology, scientists have the ability to simultaneously detail base modifications and mobile elements, quantify low-level variants, and achieve strain-level resolution within communities.
Scientists from WashU, Macrogen, and Mount Sinai are using long-read sequencing with single-molecule, next-generation genome mapping to create gold-quality de novo assemblies of human genomes. Unbiased de novo assembled genomes also highlight the substantial amount of structural variation unique to individuals and populations, which cannot be accessed by short-read technologies that use a reference-based re-sequencing approach.
At the University of Arizona, a leading genomics research facility benefits from decades of BAC- based sequencing expertise, original studies of crop genomes, and a unique emphasis on high molecular weight DNA.
Scientists are utilizing long-read PacBio sequencing to provide uniquely comprehensive views of complex plant and animal genomes. These efforts are uncovering novel biological mechanisms, enabling progress in crop development, and much more. To date, scientists have published over 1000 papers with Single Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT) Sequencing, many covering breakthroughs in the plant and animal sciences. In this case study, we look at examples in model organisms Drosophila and C. elegans and non-model organisms coffee, Oropeitum, danshen, and sugarbeet, where SMRT Sequencing has contributed to a more accurate understanding of biology. These efforts underscore the broad applicability of long-read sequencing in…
Target enrichment capture methods allow scientists to rapidly interrogate important genomic regions of interest for variant discovery, including SNPs, gene isoforms, and structural variation. Custom targeted sequencing panels are important for characterizing heterogeneous, complex diseases and uncovering the genetic basis of inherited traits with more uniform coverage when compared to PCR-based strategies. With the increasing availability of high-quality reference genomes, customized gene panels are readily designed with high specificity to capture genomic regions of interest, thus enabling scientists to expand their research scope from a single individual to larger cohort studies or population-wide investigations. Coupled with PacBio long-read sequencing, these…
Several new high-quality human genome assemblies produce ethnicity-specific reference sequences and show how scientists can use this genetic information to improve precision medicine studies in Asian sub- populations. These projects demonstrate how long- read SMRT Sequencing provides robust detection of polymorphic structural variants in clinically relevant gene coding regions and phases variants into haplotypes.
Single Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT®) Sequencing combines long reads with uniform coverage to provide uniquely comprehensive views of plant and animal genomes and transcriptomes. High-quality genome assemblies and evidence-based annotations promote improved genetic marker development, discovery of novel genes, and structural variation characterization.
At DuPont Pioneer, DNA sequencing is paramount for R&D to reveal the genetic basis for traits of interest in commercial crops such as maize, soybean, sorghum, sunflower, alfalfa, canola, wheat, rice, and others. They cannot afford to wait the years it has historically taken for high-quality reference genomes to be produced. Nor can they rely on a single reference to represent the genetic diversity in its germplasm.
Explore how high-quality genomes contribute to critical scientific endeavors.
It is now easier and more affordable than ever to do a genome project with PacBio Single Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT) Sequencing—the gold standard for generating contiguous, highly accurate reference genomes. Assembly is no longer a challenge with the wealth of bioinformatics tools developed and optimized for SMRT Sequencing data, enabling you to generate high-quality genome assemblies on any budget.
The SMRTbell Express Template Prep Kit 2.0 provides a streamlined, single-tube reaction strategy to generate SMRTbell libraries from 500 bp to >50 kb insert size targets to support large-insert genomic libraries, multiplexed microbial genomes and amplicon sequencing. With this new formulation, we have increased both the yield and efficiency of SMRTbell library preparation for SMRT Sequencing while further minimizing handling-induced DNA damage to retain the integrity of genomic DNA (gDNA). This product note highlights the key benefits, performance, and resources available for supporting de novo genome sequencing and structural variant detection projects. Our large-insert gDNA protocol has been streamlined to…
The Agilent 5200, 5300, and 5400 Fragment Analyzer instruments are fast, high-resolution benchtop capillary electrophoresis (CE) platforms that utilize proprietary markers to accurately size fragments ranging from 10 to 50 kb. This platform allows important DNA quality checkpoints to be completed in one hour for de novo large-genome sequencing projects and other PacBio applications leveraging multi-kilobase read lengths. The instrument can be used in place of time-consuming QC steps involving pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), saving time by avoiding multiple overnight gel runs when preparing large-insert SMRTbell libraries. Alternative DNA-sizing instruments cannot accurately resolve large DNA fragments in this range.
The Agilent Femto Pulse system automated pulsed-field CE instrument is a fast, high-resolution benchtop capillary electrophoresis (CE) platform that utilizes pulsed-field electrophoresis to separate high molecular weight DNA fragments. This platform allows important DNA quality checkpoints to be completed in less than 1.5 hours with minimal sample input for de novo large genome sequencing projects and other PacBio applications leveraging multi-kilobase read lengths. The instrument can be used in place of gel-based pulsed-field electrophoresis (PFGE) systems to fully support generation of large-insert SMRTbell libraries with accurate sizing to 165 kb. Alternative DNA sizing instruments cannot accurately resolve large DNA fragments…
Obtaining microbial genomes with the highest accuracy and contiguity is extremely important when exploring the functional impact of genetic and epigenetic variants on a genome-wide scale. A comprehensive view of the bacterial genome, including genes, regulatory regions, IS elements, phage integration sites, and base modifications is vital to understanding key traits such as antibiotic resistance, virulence, and metabolism. SMRT Sequencing provides complete genomes, often assembled into a single contig. Our streamlined microbial multiplexing procedure for the Sequel System, from library preparation to genome assembly, can be completed with less than 8 hours bench time. Starting with high-quality genomic DNA (gDNA),…