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Next generation sequencing
DNA sequencing is a vital part of our research into pathogen identification, environmental microbiology and genomics. We have invested in Pyrosequencing, a powerful new technology which enables us to sequence samples with unprecedented depth. At the core of our sequencing facility is a Roche GS FLX Pyrosequencer, backed up by powerful sequence processing hardware and a team of technicians and bioinformaticians.
Technical capabilities include:
- Generation of over one million DNA sequences per run
- Over 500Mb per run, with a planned increase to 1Gb later in 2011
- Q20 read lengths of up to 400 bases, rising to 1Kb in 2011
- De novo assembly of genomes and resequencing microbial genomes
- Parallel analysis of multiple samples
- Detection of unknown pathogens in complex samples
- Metagenomic analysis of complex ecosystems
- Characterisation of environmental change at the microbial and molecular level
Case study - virus discovery
The Fera plant disease diagnostic service received a sample of the ornamental gayfeather plant Liatris spicata with disease symptoms indicative of virus infection. When attempts to identify the virus using all our usual methods failed it became apparent that the plant probably contained a novel virus. Pyrosequencing, which affords enormous depth of coverage without prior knowledge of DNA sequence, is ideally suited to detecting unknown pathogens in environmental samples. By sequencing cDNAs from the infected plant we were able to recover the entire genome of a novel virus, which we named 'Gayfeather mild mottle virus'.
Adams et al. 2009. Next-generation sequencing and metagenomic analysis: a universal diagnostic tool in plant virology. Molecular Plant Pathology 10(4) 537-45.
Commercial pyrosequencing service
In addition to using next generation sequencing in its own research portfolio, Fera is now able to offer a commercial pyrosequencing service for researchers.
If you would like more information on how Fera's pyrosequencing service can aid your research, please download our flyer (PDF 162KB), or email