Collaborative Research: Sequencing and Functional Genomics of Halobacterium

该项目的重点是对古细菌（Archaea Halobacterium sp. NRC-1）的基因组进行测序，该基因组包含一条稳定的2.0 Mbp环状染色体和两个大的不稳定质粒pnrc100和pNRC200，分别为191和300 kb。在低分辨率下绘制了NRC-1染色体和质粒pNRC200，并构建了两个BAC（细菌人工染色体）文库，每个文库具有超过15倍的代表性。质粒pNRC100已被完整测序。为更复杂的基因组开发的bac端序列策略将用于完成NRC-1基因组测序。这将避免由于盐杆菌基因组中存在大量重复序列而导致的序列组装问题。完整的基因组序列将使用NCBI、华盛顿大学和遗传学计算机组软件包提供的序列分析程序进行分析。其他生物中具有同源物的基因将通过多重序列比对和系统发育分析以及通过初级文献检索进行分析。基因组分析将集中在嗜盐菌与其他古细菌、真细菌和真核生物的关系，适应高盐度的机制，以及古细菌获得新的代谢能力，如有氧呼吸。这项研究有可能在生物技术、胁迫生物学（特别是耐盐性）和系统生物学领域产生重大影响。

The focus of the project is to sequence the genome of the Archaea Halobacterium sp. NRC-1, which contains a stable 2.0 Mbp circular chromosome and two large unstable plasmids, pNRC 100 and pNRC200, 191 and 300 kb, respectively. The NRC-1 chromosome and plasmid pNRC200 have been mapped at low resolution and two BAC (bacterial artificial chromosomal) libraries, each with over 15-fold representation, have been constructed. The plasmid pNRC100 has been sequenced in its entirety. The BAC-end sequence strategy developed for more complex genomes will be used to complete the NRC-1 genome sequencing. This will circumvent sequence assembly problems resulting from the presence of a large number of repeated sequences in the Halobacterium genome. The complete genome sequence will be analyzed using sequence-analysis programs from NCBI, the University of Washington and Genetics Computer Group software packages. Genes with homologues in other organisms will be analyzed by multiple sequence alignments and phylogenetic analysis, as well as through primary literature searches. Genomic analysis will focus on the relationship of halophiles to other Archaea, as well as to eubacteria and eukaryotes, the mechanism of adaptation to high salinity, and the acquisition of new metabolic capabilities such as aerobic respiration, by an Archaeon. This research has the potential to have a significant impact in the area of biotechnology, stress biology - specifically in the area of salt tolerance, and systematic biology.