Communications of the ACM
Researchers Sequence Dark Matter of Life
University of California, San Diego professor Glenn Tesler
Credit: calit2.net
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) researchers have developed a method to sequence the genomes of thousands of bacteria species, including microorganisms that produce antibiotics and microbes that live in the human body.
The method will enable scientists to build nearly complete genomes from DNA extracted from a single bacterial cell. "The new assembly algorithm captures 90 percent of genes from a single cell," says UCSD professor Glenn Tesler.
The researchers used Multiple Displacement Amplification technology, which can be used on bacteria that cannot be cultured in the lab, to sequence 91 percent of a single cell of E. coli, allowing the researchers to perform in-depth studies to determine which proteins and peptides the bacteria use to communicate with each other and with the host. The researchers then analyzed a species of marine bacteria that had never been sequenced before, and were able to sequence its genome as well as get information about how it lives and moves.
From UCSD News
View Full Article
Abstracts Copyright © 2011 Information Inc. 
, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
No entries found