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.
Goings-On in Cancer Genomics
December 04, 2009
Mass Genomics's Dan Koboldt rounds up a recent cancer genomics meeting in St. Louis, which included talks from Peter Campbell, Richard Gibbs, and Elaine Mardis, among others. Campbell introduced the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute's first cancer genome; Gibbs spoke about Baylor's multiple-platform approach to whole genome sequencing; and Mardis gave an overview of the strategies being used at Washington University to use next-gen sequencing to study cancer genomes.
