Microbial Genome Sequencing: Microsporidia and the Next Generation of Genome Scientists

除了少数人类病原体外，微生物基因组的研究已经避开了原生动物的多样性世界，其中许多是重要的农业寄生虫。特别令人感兴趣的是微孢子虫，按照真核生物的标准，它们的基因组非常小。由于它们感染大多数无脊椎动物类群和所有种类的脊椎动物，它们对农业和渔业的影响是重大的。它们要么引起疾病，要么可以作为生物防治剂。这些生物也引起了生物学家和分子进化论者的兴趣。它们为研究宿主基因组与专性细胞内寄生虫之间的相互作用提供了极好的模型。但是分子系统发育分析指向了一个混乱的进化史。为了提高对这些不寻常微生物的认识，并满足对基因组科学广泛培训的研究人员日益增长的需求，将对小孢子虫的基因组进行测序，并建立基因组科学综合课程，以提供高通量测序技术和生物信息学方面的广泛培训。通过将本课程与蝗虫项目相结合，近100名学生将在基因组学的各个方面得到培训。虽然这种研究和培训模式可以应用于其他微生物群，但选择微孢子虫是因为它们对农业的影响，它们在分子进化研究中的神秘特征，以及它们可能揭示宿主基因组与专性细胞内寄生虫之间的相互作用。序列数据（3倍及更高的覆盖率，每月更新和注释）将在海洋生物实验室的网络服务器（www.mbl.edu）上提供给研究社区。这是一个微生物基因组测序奖，由美国国家科学基金会和农业部未来农业和粮食系统倡议合作项目资助

Except for a small number of human pathogens, microbial genome efforts have steered clear of the diverse world of protozoans, many of which are important agricultural parasites. Of particular interest are the Microsporidia, which by eukaryotic standards have remarkably small genomes. Since they infect most invertebrate taxa and all classes of vertebrates, their impact on agriculture and fisheries is significant. They either cause disease or can serve as bio-control agents. These same organisms have attracted the interests of biologists and molecular evolutionists. They offer excellent models for studying interactions between the genomes of a host and an obligate, intracellular parasite. But molecular phylogenetic analyses point towards a confused evolutionary history. To advance knowledge of these unusual microbes and to address the ever-increasing demand for researchers broadly trained in genome sciences, the genome of the microsporidian Nosema locustae will be sequenced to closure and a comprehensive course in genome science will be established to provide broad-based training in high throughput sequencing techniques and bioinformatics. By integrating this course with the N. locustae project, nearly 100 students will be trained in all aspects of genomics. Although this model for research and training could be applied to other microbial groups, Microsporidia were selected because of their impact upon agriculture, their enigmatic character in molecular evolution studies and what they may reveal about interactions between the genomes of hosts and obligate intracellular parasites. Sequence data (3X and higher coverage, monthly updates and annotation) will be available to the research community on the Marine Biological Laboratory's web server (www.mbl.edu). This is a Microbial Genome Sequencing Award funded through a collaborative program between the National Science Foundation and the Department of Agriculture Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems