Wageningen University and Research Centre (Wageningen UR) has announced that it is investing in ‘second generation’ equipment for DNA sequencing (determining the order of the building blocks (‘bases’) of genetic material). The purchase of the Roche Genome Sequencer FLX (GS FLX) developed by 454 Life Sciences™ will provide Wageningen UR with the opportunity to determine the entire DNA structure of plants, animals and micro-organisms on a much larger scale. This will enhance its leading position in international DNA research. The Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium and the Centre for Biosystems Genomics (CBSG) are co-financing the acquisition of the equipment.
The GS FLX will be placed at the Bioscience business unit of Plant Research International, which has been one of the world’s leading laboratories for DNA sequencing since the 1990s. The institute was part of the global research network that first charted and published the complete DNA (the genome) of a plant. Plant Research International has subsequently been involved with a large number of research programmes researching the DNA (or specific parts thereof) of major plants, fungi, bacteria and viruses.
Using second generation DNA sequencers, it is no longer necessary to amplify (multiply) the DNA in bacteria prior to analysis In addition, it will be possible to analyse larger batches of DNA fragments simultaneously. Wageningen UR expects to be able to read DNA 500 times faster with the new equipment and will work together with the equipment manufacturer to further develop analysis protocols.
This revolutionary development in DNA sequencing technology will solve new research issues, especially with regard to the relationship between DNA base sequences and the resulting traits of an organism. This will open the door to large-scale comparative research projects on which genes are active and when (expression analysis), on the small differences in DNA sequence between individuals (SNPs), and on the occurrence and influence of a recently discovered group of regulating sequences (small RNAs). It will also be possible to compare the entire DNA of plant and animal species and varieties. The resulting knowledge will lead to more efficient and faster work processes in the (plant) breeding sectors and will also be used for white bio-technology and ecological research.
It is expected that the GS FLX will be in service in December this year. One of the first projects to benefit will be the international research into the genomes of the potato and tomato being carried out by the Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium and the Centre for Biosystems Genomics.