TL;DR: Ultra-long reads enabled assembly and phasing of the 4-Mb major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus in its entirety, measurement of telomere repeat length, and closure of gaps in the reference human genome assembly GRCh38.
Abstract: We report the sequencing and assembly of a reference genome for the human GM12878 Utah/Ceph cell line using the MinION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) nanopore sequencer. 91.2 Gb of sequence data, representing ∼30× theoretical coverage, were produced. Reference-based alignment enabled detection of large structural variants and epigenetic modifications. De novo assembly of nanopore reads alone yielded a contiguous assembly (NG50 ∼3 Mb). We developed a protocol to generate ultra-long reads (N50 > 100 kb, read lengths up to 882 kb). Incorporating an additional 5× coverage of these ultra-long reads more than doubled the assembly contiguity (NG50 ∼6.4 Mb). The final assembled genome was 2,867 million bases in size, covering 85.8% of the reference. Assembly accuracy, after incorporating complementary short-read sequencing data, exceeded 99.8%. Ultra-long reads enabled assembly and phasing of the 4-Mb major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus in its entirety, measurement of telomere repeat length, and closure of gaps in the reference human genome assembly GRCh38.
TL;DR: Key technical features of the Oxford Nanopore MinION, the dominant platform currently available, are summarized and pioneering applications executed by the genomics community are discussed.
Abstract: Nanopore DNA strand sequencing has emerged as a competitive, portable technology. Reads exceeding 150 kilobases have been achieved, as have in-field detection and analysis of clinical pathogens. We summarize key technical features of the Oxford Nanopore MinION, the dominant platform currently available. We then discuss pioneering applications executed by the genomics community.
TL;DR: A protocol for generating coding-sequence-complete genomes, comprising an online primer design tool, a novel multiplex PCR enrichment protocol, optimized library preparation methods for the portable MinION sequencer and the Illumina range of instruments, and a bioinformatics pipeline for generating consensus sequences.
Abstract: Genome sequencing has become a powerful tool for studying emerging infectious diseases; however, genome sequencing directly from clinical samples (ie, without isolation and culture) remains challenging for viruses such as Zika, for which metagenomic sequencing methods may generate insufficient numbers of viral reads Here we present a protocol for generating coding-sequence-complete genomes, comprising an online primer design tool, a novel multiplex PCR enrichment protocol, optimized library preparation methods for the portable MinION sequencer (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) and the Illumina range of instruments, and a bioinformatics pipeline for generating consensus sequences The MinION protocol does not require an Internet connection for analysis, making it suitable for field applications with limited connectivity Our method relies on multiplex PCR for targeted enrichment of viral genomes from samples containing as few as 50 genome copies per reaction Viral consensus sequences can be achieved in 1-2 d by starting with clinical samples and following a simple laboratory workflow This method has been successfully used by several groups studying Zika virus evolution and is facilitating an understanding of the spread of the virus in the Americas The protocol can be used to sequence other viral genomes using the online Primal Scheme primer designer software It is suitable for sequencing either RNA or DNA viruses in the field during outbreaks or as an inexpensive, convenient method for use in the lab
TL;DR: This work was able to train a hidden Markov model to distinguish 5-mC from unmethylated cytosine by using synthetically methylated DNA, and applied this method to sequence the methylome of human DNA, without requiring special steps for library preparation.
Abstract: A hidden Markov model (HMM)-based tool enables detection of 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) from single-molecule nanopore-sequencing data generated directly from human genomic DNA without chemical treatment. In nanopore sequencing devices, electrolytic current signals are sensitive to base modifications, such as 5-methylcytosine (5-mC). Here we quantified the strength of this effect for the Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION sequencer. By using synthetically methylated DNA, we were able to train a hidden Markov model to distinguish 5-mC from unmethylated cytosine. We applied our method to sequence the methylome of human DNA, without requiring special steps for library preparation.
TL;DR: The third-generation sequencing technology, led by Pacific Biosciences (PacBio), is progressing rapidly, moving from a technology once only capable of providing data for small genome analysis, or for performing targeted screening, to one that promises high quality de novo assembly and structural variation detection for human-sized genomes.