Collaborative Effort to Establish Standards for Sequencing Viral Genomes Proposed

A new set of standards have been proposed that aim at developing a common language among investigators who are working to sequence viral genomes

A new set of standards have been proposed that aim at developing a common language among investigators who are working to sequence viral genomes.

According to USAMRIID senior author Gustavo Palacios, Ph.D., the proposed system, published last week as an editorial in the journal mBio, is the result of a collaborative effort involving scientists from many of the world's leading institutions. Contributors include the Broad Institute, the J. Craig Venter Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the University of Maryland, and Johns Hopkins University.

Study On Lung Stem Cells For Generations May Shed Light On Healing
More than one kind of stem cell is required to support the upkeep and repair of the lungs, according to a new study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

"One of our main accomplishments was to sit everyone at the same table and agree to something meaningful," he explained.

The genome is the genetic material of an organism, which is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of viruses, in RNA, according to the authors. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding "sequences" of the DNA or RNA, which contain the information necessary for the virus to replicate and transmit. Determining the sequence, therefore, yields useful information that can be applied in any number of medical and scientific disciplines.

"Thanks to high-throughput sequencing technologies, genome sequencing has become a common component in nearly all aspects of viral research, including molecular epidemiology, drug and vaccine development, surveillance and diagnostics," said Palacios. "Thus, we are currently experiencing an explosion in both the number of available genome sequences and the number of institutions producing such data."

Study Identifies New Gene Linked to Progressive Hearing Loss
Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a gene responsible for progressive hearing loss.

However, while there is a great deal of viral genome sequencing taking place, "there is currently no unifying framework, no common vocabulary about how 'finished' a particular viral genome is," said the paper's first author, Jason Ladner, Ph.D., of USAMRIID. The level of finishing determines a genome's suitability for various downstream applications, including the design of diagnostics, reverse genetics systems and countermeasure development.

The team hopes to fill that void by outlining five "standard" categories that encompass all stages of viral genome finishing, and defining the categories using simple criteria that apply regardless of the technology used for sequencing.