MRI: Acquisition of Genomic Sequencing Instrumentation

新墨西哥州立大学（NMSU）获得了美国国家科学基金会（National Science Foundation）的资助，以获得一种名为乳化液聚合酶链式焦磷酸测序（Emulsion PCR pyrosequencing）的基因组测序新技术的主要研究仪器。这项新技术发明于三年前，将DNA测序的时间和成本减少到现有技术的1%左右，并允许对环境样本进行探索性遗传表征。多用户基因组测序核心设备将使新密歇根州立大学的研究人员能够率先了解：1)少数基因的突变如何影响数百个其他基因的表达；2)某些病毒如何改善某些疾病的致病性；3)允许有益细菌在宿主体内生存的基因如何改变以允许致病性；4)严重污染和修复土壤中微生物群落的变化。5)驱动植物和昆虫自然种群中正在进行的物种形成的突变；6)非模式生物的基因组水平遗传特征。新墨西哥州立大学是少数族裔占多数的新墨西哥州生物技术教育的领导者，它将成为第一个获得emPCR焦磷酸测序技术的少数族裔服务机构。基因组测序核心设施将利用NMSU生物信息学和计算方面的几个现有项目和设施，为其学生为下一代生物技术劳动力做好准备。

New Mexico State University (NMSU) has received funding from the National Science Foundation to acquire major research instrumentation in the form of a transformational new technology of genome sequencing called Emulsion PCR pyrosequencing. First invented barely three years ago, this novel technology reduces the time and cost of DNA sequencing to about 1% of existing technologies and allows exploratory genetic characterization of environmental samples. The multi-user genome sequencing core facility will allow NMSU researchers to pioneer the understanding of 1) how mutations in a few genes can affect the expression of hundreds of others, 2) how certain viruses ameliorate the pathogenicity of some diseases, 3) how genes that allow beneficial bacteria to live in hosts can change to allow pathogenicity, 4) the changes in microbial communities of severely polluted and remediated soils, 5) mutations that drive ongoing speciation in natural populations of plants and insects, and 6) genome-level genetic characterization of non-model organisms.NMSU is a leader in biotechnology education in the minority-majority state of New Mexico, and it will be the first minority serving institution to acquire emPCR pyrosequencing technology. The genome sequencing core facility will leverage several existing programs and facilities in bioinformatics and computation at NMSU to prepare its students for the next-generation biotechnology workforce.