COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RCN EukHiTS: Eukaryotic biodiversity research using High-Throughput Sequencing

新罕布什尔大学和加州大学戴维斯分校获得了一笔赠款，用于开发一个研究协调网络，重点研究使用高通量测序的真核生物多样性研究（RCN EukHiTS）。微小的真核生物物种（生物体1毫米，如线虫、真菌、原生生物等）在地球上的每一个生态系统中都是丰富而无处不在的，但肉眼是看不见的。这些物种的生物多样性和地理分布在很大程度上是未知的，这是生物学中主要的知识空白之一。高通量DNA测序技术现在允许深入检查几乎所有存在于环境样品中的微生物。对于微生物真核生物分类群，使用传统基因座（rRNA基因）进行大规模生物多样性评估，所需的时间和成本仅为传统形态学方法的一小部分。尽管前景看好，但目前的瓶颈包括缺乏有用的分布式分析工具和通用数据标准，无法在各个研究之间进行全球比较，以及分子和形态之间缺失的联系。EukHiTS RCN将专注于为真核生物分类群和基础设施（包括网络和人类）开发计算方法的社区能力，这些方法需要有效地解释大型高通量数据集。RCN EukHiTS指导委员会包括来自计算生物学、功能基因组学、计算机科学、分类学、生态学、数据库资源管理的专家，以及最终用户社区的代表，以确保社区的各个方面都得到很好的代表。RCN EukHiTs将提供广泛的科学推广、教育和培训，包括重点关注技术和社会媒体工具。关键的网络活动将致力于培训下一代科学家接受全球生物多样性评估的挑战；重点关注本科生机会（“生物信息学训练营”和机构研究交流）将使学生通过跨学科培训发展他们的研究技能，并通过与不同职业阶段的知名研究人员有计划的社会互动获得职业洞察力。研究协调活动将包括年度催化会议（作为出席人数众多的跨学科科学会议的附属活动举行）、工作组和rcn赞助的会议专题讨论会。RCN门户网站将传播RCN活动，并向更广泛的社区通报真核生物多样性研究重点和长期目标。同样，基于网络的内容，包括博客文章和Twitter feed，将有助于吸引公众，提高对新的DNA测序技术和微生物真核生物在自然生态系统中的作用的认识。

The University of New Hampshire and the University of California, Davis are awarded a grant to develop a Research Coordination Network focused on eukaryotic biodiversity research using high-throughput sequencing (RCN EukHiTS). Microscopic eukaryote species (organisms 1mm, such as nematodes, fungi, protists, etc.) are abundant and ubiquitous-yet invisible to the naked eye-in every ecosystem on earth. The biodiversity and geographic distributions for most of these species are largely unknown, and represent one of the major knowledge gaps in biology. High-throughput DNA sequencing technologies now allow for deep examination of virtually all microscopic organisms present in an environmental sample. For microbial eukaryote taxa, en masse biodiversity assessment using traditional loci (rRNA genes) can be conducted at a fraction of the time and cost required for traditional (morphological) approaches. Despite this promise, current bottlenecks include the lack of useful distributed tools for analysis and common data standards to allow global comparisons across individual studies as well as missing links between molecules and morphology. The EukHiTS RCN will focus on developing community capabilities for computational approaches focused on eukaryotic taxa and the infrastructure, both cyber and human, needed for effective interpretation of large high-throughput datasets. The steering committee of RCN EukHiTS includes expertise from computational biology, functional genomics, computer science, taxonomy, ecology, database resource management, and representatives of end user communities to ensure that all aspects of the community are well-represented. RCN EukHiTs will offer extensive scientific outreach, education and training, including a heavy focus on technology and social media tools. Key network activities will be devoted to training the next generation of scientists to take up the challenges of global biodiversity assessment; a strong focus on undergraduate opportunities ("Bioinformatics Bootcamps" and institutional research exchanges) will enable students to develop their research skill set through interdisciplinary training, and gain career insight though planned social interactions with established researchers at different career stages. Research coordination activities will include yearly catalysis meetings (held as satellite events to well-attended, interdisciplinary scientific conferences), working groups, and RCN-sponsored conference symposia. An RCN portal website will disseminate RCN activities and inform the wider community of eukaryotic biodiversity research priorities and long-term goals. Similarly, web-based content, including blog posts and Twitter feeds, will serve to engage public audiences and raise awareness of new DNA sequencing technologies and the role of microbial eukaryotes in natural ecosystems.