Events

Supported through OGI’s Genomics Capacity Building (GCB) Workshops program, Dr. T. Ryan Gregory, Associate Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario at the University of Guelph hosted a scientific meeting on genome size and ploidy information on May 3-4, 2010 at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario.

Achieving a detailed understanding of the large-scale features of genomes represents one of the premier objectives of twenty-first century biological science. Though the rapid rise of complete genome sequencing has justifiably garnered considerable attention both within and outside the scientific community, analyses of specific DNA sequences and the search for protein-coding genes in model organisms represent only one aspect of “comparative genomics”. Despite tremendous recent progress in other areas of genomics, explanations for diversity in fundamental properties of genomes, such as size and copy number, remain elusive. For example, even after more than half a century of continuous study, it remains an unresolved puzzle why genome sizes of animals and plants range over several orders of magnitude. In addition to representing a key component of basic genome biology, genome size and ploidy information are becoming increasingly significant in an applied sense as the phylogenetic breadth of genome sequencing projects continues to expand. Genome size data provide a direct estimate of sequencing cost and is used to inform strategies for sequencing and assembly. These roles are likely to grow with the advent of high-throughput, short-read, next generation sequencing technologies. Whereas genome sequencing has evolved to operate at an international consortium scale, genome size projects remain largely limited to the scale of individual labs.

This workshop, the first in a series, brought together experts in genome size and ploidy analysis to create a productive working group, to develop priorities and strategies for large-scale genome size research, to explore strategic links with other branches of genomics and the life sciences, and to develop specific plans for joint applications for major funding.

Key initial outcomes:

• As the cost of whole genome sequencing continues to drop, it is expected that it will be increasingly important to have genome size information for multiple species related to the chosen sequencing targets. Therefore, the participants are planning on developing explicit links with the genome sequencing centres (JGI, JCVI, Broad Institute, etc.), with representatives from these institutes to be invited to follow-up workshops.
• The participants are working together to identify joint priorities for large-scale studies of genome size diversity in animals and plants, including identifying taxa/regions of particular strategic interest. Potential funding organizations and competitions have been identified, for which joint applications can be developed.
• The participants have agreed to further integrate the online genome size databases and to approach other databases such as GenBank and the Encylopedia of Life, to ensure consistent data standards and links between these resources.

Portions of this event were open to the public. 

For more information, please see the meeting agenda and list of participants.