Sequencing and Analysis of the Hydra Genome
Chapman, Kirkness et al., Nature
An international research collaboration reports their sequencing and analysis of the Hydra magnipapillata genome, and compare it to the genomes of several other organisms. "The Hydra genome has been shaped by bursts of transposable element expansion, horizontal gene transfer, trans-splicing, and simplification of gene structure and gene content that parallel simplification of the Hydra life cycle," the authors write. They team suggests that comparisons of the Hydra genome to the reported sequences of other animals have helped them to elucidate the evolution of several of the organism's characteristics.
Fast or Accurate?
November 06, 2009
Mass Genomics’ Dan Koboldt is part of the 1,000 Genomes Pilot 3 and the group is putting together a list of aligners to use. The aligners he suggested, Bowtie, Novoalign, and SHRiMP, were deemed not accurate enough, accurate but slow, and slow, respectively. And Kobolt says this points out “the key issue surrounding short read alignment for variant detection — finding the balance between speed and sensitivity.” “The ultimate short read aligner, in my opinion, would have Bowtie-like speed, Novoalign-like sensitivity, and the widespread community support that Maq enjoys,” he writes.
