Genome Research in Next Generation : High-throughput Genome Analysis Service

The High-throughput Genome Analysis Core Facility provides high-throughput sequencing services to researcher in the academic, industrial communities. Currently, this core has three high-throughput sequencing platforms: 1) capillary gel electrophoresis system (conventional Sanger sequencing), 2) Genome sequencer FLX (454 sequencing), 3) Illumina Genome Analyzer II (Solexa sequencing). Eight service items, namely: 1) shotgun library construction, 2) PCR product sequencing, 3) large insert sequencing, 4) whole genome sequencing, 5) EST/plasmid sequencing, 6) BAC end sequencing, 7) gel electrophoresis, and 8) whole genome sequencing by GS FLX have been opened to the research community in Taiwan.

The high-throughput genome sequencers can be used both for de novo sequencing and re-sequencing of bacteria genome and can be applied in comparative analysis of bacteria genome, virus sequencing and in variance strain analysis of microorganisms. We have conducted both the conventional Sanger sequencing and the 454 sequencing to sequence two strains of A. baumannii and find a cost-effective combination of these two technologies to achieve low cost de novo sequencing for genomic research. In addition to whole genome sequencing, key technologies for ChIP sequencing, RNA sequencing and metagenomic analysis by 454 sequencing and Solexa sequencing have been also developed. These high-throughput genome analysis technologies will enable researches to carry out genome-wide studies on medical sequencing, pathogen re-sequencing, genome re-sequencing, mapping gene regulatory region, transcriptome profiling, metagenomic analysis, and small noncoding RNA identification.