Microbial Genome Sequencing: Complete Genome Sequencing of the Extremely Halophilic Archaea Haloferax Volcanii

该项目的主要目标是完成极端嗜盐古细菌Haloferax Volcanii的4.2兆碱基基因组测序，并帮助科学家和教育工作者利用这些数据。该项目可分为四个不同的目标：(1)对火山杆菌基因组进行全基因组鸟枪测序、组装和关闭；(2)利用TIGR海牛软件促进群落注释并分析基因组序列；(3)建立一个方便用户访问火山杆菌基因组序列以及普通生物和生物医学研究社区对基因组注释和分析的途径；(4)帮助科学教育工作者开发工具，将该物种用作基因组微生物学教育的模式。极端嗜盐古生菌能够在高盐环境中生存是独一无二的，因为它们平衡了内部和外部环境中的盐分浓度，而且它们已经适应了细胞间的大分子成分(蛋白质、核酸等)。以适应高盐环境。H.Volcanii是研究古生代一般生物学的一个很好的模式系统。它很容易在中等温度下培养，并服从于遗传和分子操作。这种生物除了依赖盐外，还具有干燥和抗辐射能力，并被用作研究新的代谢途径、适应盐度变化以及气泡和细菌素编码基因异源表达的模型。目前从这组嗜盐古生菌中只有一个完整的基因组可用。拥有来自这一组的多个基因组将允许进行比较基因组分析，这已被发现为微生物物种的进化、突变和生物学提供了非凡的洞察力。由于其易于生长、非致病特性和有趣的生物学特性，我们相信H.Volcanii可以成为本科科学教育课程的典范。

The primary goal of this project is to sequence to completion the 4.2 megabase genome of the extremely halophilic Archaea, Haloferax volcanii and to aid scientists and educators in making use of this data. This project can be divided into four distinct aims: (1) to carry out whole-genome shotgun sequencing, assembly, and closure of the genome of H. volcanii; (2) to facilitate community annotation using the TIGR MANATEE software and analyze the genome sequence (3) to establish a user-friendly access to the H. volcanii genome sequence and to the genome annotation and analysis, by the general biological and biomedical research community; (4) to aid science educators in the development of tools for using this species as a model for genome-enabled microbiology education. Extreme halophilic Archaea are uniquely able to survive in high salt environments because they balance the internal salt concentration with that of the external environment and because they have adapted their intercellular macromolecular components (proteins, nucleic acids, etc.) to function a high salt milieu. H. volcanii is an excellent model system for the study of the general biology of Archaea. It is easily cultivated at moderate temperatures and is amenable to genetic and molecular manipulation. This organism, in addition to being salt dependent, is desiccation and radiation resistant and is being used as a model to study novel metabolic pathways, adaptation to changing salinity and for heterologous expression of gas vacuole and bacterio-opsin encoding genes. Only one complete genome is currently available from this group of halophilic Archaea. Having multiple genomes from this group will allow comparative genomic analysis which has been found to provide remarkable insight into the evolution, mutation, and biology of microbial species. Because of its ease of growth, non pathogenic character and interesting biological properties, we believe H. volcanii can become a model for undergraduate science education courses.