A simplified biochemistry for DNA sequencing

A simplified method of DNA sequencing by dideoxy chain termination is developed that approaches a single-step protocol. Utilizing the sequencing advantages contributed by a thermophilic polymerase and a guanine analog, stable sequencing reaction concentrates have been obtained that readily perform the entire sequencing reaction simply by adding prepared DNA to each of the four reaction concentrates required by this method. The mechanics and dynamics of these reactions have been investigated and the capacity of these reactions to withstand normal user variation is demonstrated. This study focuses on one form of this simplified method embodied in the FASTaq DNA sequencing kit.     

From micrograms to picograms: quantitative PCR reduces the material demands of high-throughput sequencing

Current efforts to recover the Neandertal and mammoth genomes by 454 DNA sequencing demonstrate the sensitivity of this technology. However, routine 454 sequencing applications still require microgram quantities of initial material. This is due to a lack of effective methods for quantifying 454 sequencing libraries, necessitating expensive and labour-intensive procedures when sequencing ancient DNA and other poor DNA samples. Here we report a 454 sequencing library quantification method based on quantitative PCR that effectively eliminates these limitations. We estimated both the molecule numbers and the fragment size distributions in sequencing libraries derived from Neandertal DNA extracts, SAGE ditags and bonobo genomic DNA, obtaining optimal sequencing yields without performing any titration runs. Using this method, 454 sequencing can routinely be performed from as little as 50 pg of initial material without titration runs, thereby drastically reducing costs while increasing the scope of sample throughput and protocol development on the 454 platform. The method should also apply to Illumina/Solexa and ABI/SOLiD sequencing, and should therefore help to widen the accessibility of all three platforms.     

微生物全基因组鸟枪法测序

全基因组测序主要有二种策略,一种是分级鸟枪法测序,另一种是全基因组鸟枪法测序。微生物是一种十分重要的遗传资源,运用全基因组鸟枪法可以方便、快捷地完成其基因组的测序任务。本文对微生物全基因组鸟枪法测序中文库构建、插入片段的长短比例、反应投入量、拼接以及补洞等问题作了较细致的描述,有些步骤作了举例说明。 Abstract:Two strategies introduced for whole genome sequencing,one is clone by clone method,the other is whole genome shotgun sequencing,for microbes which are very important to us,whole genome shotgun sequencing method is very convenient.In this article we discussed the library construction、long-to-short-ratio of insert,、total number of reads should be sequenced、assembly and gap filling technologies of the whole microbial genome shotgun sequencing method while some examples presented.     

快速可靠的双链PCR产物直接测序法

利用T7DNA聚合酶在低温下仍具较高活性的特点,在热变性后低温下进行测序反应,使用该方法对多种PCR产物进行序列分析均取得较好的结果．     

梅花鹿DRB 第二外显子等位基因鉴定的一种新方法

A new method was found which integrated Motif specific-PCR, SSCP and direct sequencing to identify the exon 2 of alleles of DRB genes in sika deer. Using this method, the detected 15 sequences which included no artificial sequences from mutation or recombination in the process all met the criterion to distinguish a new allele. The criterion is that there have to be identical sequences identified from at least two different individuals by PCR and direct sequencing. Compared with PCR-SSCP-cloning sequencing previously, this method can efficiently remove artificial sequences. Combined with the above criterion, this method provided a new approach for investigating DRB gene polymorphism of sika deer and other deer species.     

Pyrosequencing™

Nucleotide sequencing is an established method for gaining information relating to partial gene, whole gene, or whole genome sequence. Here we describe some of the background leading to the advent of modern nucleotide sequencing and how it has led to the development of Pyrosequencing™, a relatively new method for real-time nucleotide sequencing. In particular, we describe how this method can be used for typing bacterial pathogens.     

Strategies for automated sequencing of human mitochondrial DNA directly from PCR products.

A rapid, robust and sensitive method has been developed for the amplification and direct sequencing of human mitochondrial DNA. A 403-bp hypervariable segment was amplified by two successive rounds of nested PCR. This was then sequenced by the dideoxy chain termination method using dye-labeled universal sequencing primers in conjunction with an automated DNA sequencer. This paper describes the assessment of four different strategies for this amplification and sequencing process. Optimal results were obtained by immobilizing the biotinylated PCR product on Dynabeads followed by solid-phase sequencing with Sequenase. Degraded samples and those containing trace amounts of DNA such as extracts from hair shafts can be analyzed by this method.     

Octamer-primed cycle sequencing using dye-terminator chemistry.

Octamer Sequencing Technology, OST, is a method of DNA sequencing using single octamer oligonucleotides to prime cycle sequencing reactions. This sequencing strategy is faster than a traditional primer-walking strategy, since access to this optimized octamer library eliminates delays associated with designing and synthesizing gene specific primers. In this report, OST has been optimized for fluorescent, dye-terminator cycle sequencing reactions to facilitate parallel processing of samples. The successful adaptation of OST to an automated sequencing platform and the design of and access to an octamer library are critical steps towards developing an efficient 'closed-loop' DNA sequencing system.     

Rapid removal of unincorporated label and proteins from DNA sequencing reactions

This article presents a simple and rapid method for removal of unincorporated label and proteins from DNA sequencing reactions by using Wizard purification resin. This method can be successfully applied for preparation of end-labeled oligonucleotides free of unincorporated label, which is important in experiments (including DNA sequencing) when the level of background should be as low as possible. Also, this method is effective in removal of proteins from DNA sequencing reactions.     

Ultrafast sequencing of oligodeoxyribonucleotides by FAB-mass spectrometry.

A fully instrumental method is described for the bidirectional sequencing of oligodeoxyribonucleotides. The method makes use of the negative ion fragmentation patterns of fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. It is less time consuming than any other sequencing procedure known to date. Since one sequencing run takes as little as one hour, this new method is anticipated to cut down considerably the time required for the controlled synthesis of oligodeoxyribonucleotides of (currently) up to ten nucleotide units in length.     

Novel molecular and computational methods improve the accuracy of insertion site analysis in Sleeping Beauty-induced tumors

The recent development of the Sleeping Beauty (SB) system has led to the development of novel mouse models of cancer. Unlike spontaneous models, SB causes cancer through the action of mutagenic transposons that are mobilized in the genomes of somatic cells to induce mutations in cancer genes. While previous methods have successfully identified many transposon-tagged mutations in SB-induced tumors, limitations in DNA sequencing technology have prevented a comprehensive analysis of large tumor cohorts. Here we describe a novel method for producing genetic profiles of SB-induced tumors using Illumina sequencing. This method has dramatically increased the number of transposon-induced mutations identified in each tumor sample to reveal a level of genetic complexity much greater than previously appreciated. In addition, Illumina sequencing has allowed us to more precisely determine the depth of sequencing required to obtain a reproducible signature of transposon-induced mutations within tumor samples. The use of Illumina sequencing to characterize SB-induced tumors should significantly reduce sampling error that undoubtedly occurs using previous sequencing methods. As a consequence, the improved accuracy and precision provided by this method will allow candidate cancer genes to be identified with greater confidence. Overall, this method will facilitate ongoing efforts to decipher the genetic complexity of the human cancer genome by providing more accurate comparative information from Sleeping Beauty models of cancer.     

Strategy and methods for directly sequencing cosmid clones

The primer-directed enzymatic sequencing method for sequencing double-stranded DNA templates has made possible the development of new strategies for directly sequencing large DNA molecules. Toward this goal, we have developed a strategy and the necessary techniques to obtain the complete sequence of cosmid clones (double-stranded DNA molecules in the size range of 50 kb). Our present strategy uses the chemical sequencing method to obtain sequence initiation points internal to a cosmid insert and the primer-directed enzymatic DNA sequencing method to extend these sequence contigs. As part of this development we added a nucleotide "chase" solution to the standard T7 sequencing protocol and included the use of both [alpha-32P]-dATP and -dCTP for labeling. With these modifications our double-stranded cosmid DNA sequencing reactions routinely extend well beyond 1000 bp, and film exposure times are kept to a minimum (24 to 48 h). We can routinely separate sequenced DNA fragments, using a 1-m gel system, which can be accurately read (with less than 0.5% error) to distances of 800 bp or more, from the oligomer primer. The strategy and procedures presented here allow the complete sequence of a cosmid clone to be obtained without subcloning.     

A cost-effective plasmid purification protocol suitable for fluorescent automated DNA sequencing

A cost-effective, reliable, and reproducible method has been developed to produce good-quality, double-stranded plasmid DNA for automated sequence analysis. The method incorporates modifications to a previously described plasmid-purification protocol used in manual sequencing. The quality of the DNA produced from the present protocol is suitable for automated fluorescent sequencing. Using a dye-terminator sequencing protocol, most runs using plasmid DNA prepared using this protocol produced over 700 bases with greater than 99% base-calling accuracy.     

Alternative dideoxy sequencing of double-stranded DNA by cyclic reactions using Taq polymerase.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique to amplify a specific DNA sequence millions of times. The thermostable enzyme Taq polymerase allows this procedure to take place under conditions of high specificity and automatization. By combining the techniques of PCR and dideoxy sequencing, it is possible to perform DNA sequencing independently of their structures. The cyclic sequencing reaction is carried out in the presence of an excess amount of sequencing primer and a radioactive nucleotide ([alpha-35S]dATP) using a DNA thermal cycler. Different reaction conditions were investigated and optimized including nucleotide ratios in each termination mix, primer/template ratios, amount of a radioactive nucleotide, and the program of the reaction. This method allows the detection of single base substitutions in heterozygous alleles, and the detection of homozygous deletions. A new RFLP of the human porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD) gene was identified using this technique. This RFLP is created by one base difference (cytosine or adenine) that changes the restriction site for Apa LI. The alternative sequencing method described in this study is a simple and time-saving procedure that can also be used for large sequencing projects.     

Sequencing from compomers: using mass spectrometry for DNA de novo sequencing of 200+ nt.

One of the main endeavors in today's life science remains the efficient sequencing of long DNA molecules. Today, most de novo sequencing of DNA is still performed using the electrophoresis-based Sanger concept of 1977, in spite of certain restrictions of this method. Methods using mass spectrometry to acquire the Sanger sequencing data are limited by short sequencing lengths of 15-25 nt. We propose a new method for DNA sequencing using base-specific cleavage and mass spectrometry that appears to be a promising alternative to classical DNA sequencing approaches. A single stranded DNA or RNA molecule is cleaved by a base-specific (bio-)chemical reaction using, for example, RNAses. The cleavage reaction is modified such that not all, but only a certain percentage of bases are cleaved. The resulting mixture of fragments is then analyzed using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, whereby we acquire the molecular masses of fragments. For every peak in the mass spectrum, we calculate those base compositions that will potentially create a peak of the observed mass and, repeating the cleavage reaction for all four bases, finally try to uniquely reconstruct the underlying sequence from these observed spectra. This leads us to the combinatorial problem of sequencing from compomers and, finally, to the graph-theoretical problem of finding a walk in a subgraph of the de Bruijn graph. Application of this method to simulated data indicates that it might be capable of sequencing DNA molecules with 200+ nt.     

A method to generate multilocus barcodes of pinned insect specimens using MiSeq

For molecular insect identification, amplicon sequencing methods are recommended because they offer a cost‐effective approach for targeting small sets of informative genes from multiple samples. In this context, high‐throughput multilocus amplicon sequencing has been achieved using the MiSeq Illumina sequencing platform. However, this approach generates short gene fragments of <500 bp, which then have to be overlapped using bioinformatics to achieve longer sequence lengths. This increases the risk of generating chimeric sequences or leads to the formation of incomplete loci. Here, we propose a modified nested amplicon sequencing method for targeting multiple loci from pinned insect specimens using the MiSeq Illumina platform. The modification exists in using a three‐step nested PCR approach targeting near full‐length loci in the initial PCR and subsequently amplifying short fragments of between 300 and 350 bp for high‐throughput sequencing using Illumina chemistry. Using this method, we generated 407 sequences of three loci from 86% of all the specimens sequenced. Out of 103 pinned bee specimens of replicated species, 71% passed the 95% sequence similarity threshold between species replicates. This method worked best for pinned specimens aged between 0 and 5 years, with a limit of 10 years for pinned and 14 years for ethanol‐preserved specimens. Hence, our method overcomes some of the challenges of amplicon sequencing using short read next generation sequencing and improves the possibility of creating high‐quality multilocus barcodes from insect collections.     

A Bead-based Normalization for Uniform Sequencing depth (BeNUS) protocol for multi-samples sequencing exemplified by HLA-B

Background

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is a group of genes that are extremely polymorphic among individuals and populations and have been associated with more than 100 different diseases and adverse drug effects. HLA typing is accordingly an important tool in clinical application, medical research, and population genetics. We have previously developed a phase-defined HLA gene sequencing method using MiSeq sequencing.

Results

Here we report a simple, high-throughput, and cost-effective sequencing method that includes normalized library preparation and adjustment of DNA molar concentration. We applied long-range PCR to amplify HLA-B for 96 samples followed by transposase-based library construction and multiplex sequencing with the MiSeq sequencer. After sequencing, we observed low variation in read percentages (0.2% to 1.55%) among the 96 demultiplexed samples. On this basis, all the samples were amenable to haplotype phasing using our phase-defined sequencing method. In our study, a sequencing depth of 800x was necessary and sufficient to achieve full phasing of HLA-B alleles with reliable assignment of the allelic sequence to the 8 digit level.

Conclusions

Our HLA sequencing method optimized for 96 multiplexing samples is highly time effective and cost effective and is especially suitable for automated multi-sample library preparation and sequencing.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-645) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Effective Extraction and Assembly Methods for Simultaneously Obtaining Plastid and Mitochondrial Genomes

Background

In conventional approaches to plastid and mitochondrial genome sequencing, the sequencing steps are performed separately; thus, plastid DNA (ptDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) should be prepared independently. However, it is difficult to extract pure ptDNA and mtDNA from plant tissue. Following the development of high-throughput sequencing technology, many researchers have attempted to obtain plastid genomes or mitochondrial genomes using high-throughput sequencing data from total DNA. Unfortunately, the huge datasets generated consume massive computing and storage resources and cost a great deal, and even more importantly, excessive pollution reads affect the accuracy of the assembly. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an effective method that can generate base sequences from plant tissue and that is suitable for all plant species. Here, we describe a highly effective, low-cost method for obtaining plastid and mitochondrial genomes simultaneously.

Results

First, we obtained high-quality DNA employing Partial Concentration Extraction. Second, we evaluated the purity of the DNA sample and determined the sequencing dataset size employing Vector Control Quantitative Analysis. Third, paired-end reads were obtained using a high-throughput sequencing platform. Fourth, we obtained scaffolds employing Two-step Assembly. Finally, we filled in gaps using specific methods and obtained complete plastid and mitochondrial genomes. To ensure the accuracy of plastid and mitochondrial genomes, we validated the assembly using PCR and Sanger sequencing. Using this method,we obtained complete plastid and mitochondrial genomes with lengths of 153,533 nt and 223,412 nt separately.

Conclusion

A simple method for extracting, evaluating, sequencing and assembling plastid and mitochondrial genomes was developed. This method has many advantages: it is timesaving, inexpensive and reproducible and produces high-quality sequence. Furthermore, this method can produce plastid and mitochondrial genomes simultaneously and be used for other plant species. Due to its simplicity and extensive applicability, this method will support research on plant cytoplasmic genomes.     

人类基因组结构变异检测方法

本研究介绍了基因组结构变异检测的生物信息学基本方法和前沿技术。对基于第二代测序技术的四种检测方法(读对方法,读深方法,分裂片段方法和序列拼接方法)的原理和特点进行了详细解读,分析了第二代测序技术应用在检测结构变异上的特点与发展趋势。最后介绍了三代测序、Linked-reads和光学物理图谱等新技术在基因组结构变异检测中的应用,论述了融合新技术的结构变异检测方法的特点与优势。     

Exoquence DNA sequencing.

We have developed a strategy for DNA sequencing based on exonuclease III digestion followed by double strand specific endonuclease digestion and direct dideoxynucleotide sequencing reaction. This strategy eliminates the need for subcloning, oligonucleotide primers, and prior knowledge of the DNA to be sequenced. All template and primer duplexes needed for sequencing a complete insert can be prepared in one day from uncharacterized starting DNA. Sequence information can be obtained from different regions of the DNA simultaneously. The method uses double-stranded DNA to generate single-stranded template and primer, and thus produces high quality sequence results. Commercially available dideoxy-sequencing kits are well suited for this method. The strategy should be applicable for both automatic and routine laboratory DNA sequencing.