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Whole‐Genome Sequencing of a Single Viral Species from a Highly Heterogeneous Sample |
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| Authors: | Dr. Hee‐Sun Han Paul G. Cantalupo Dr. Assaf Rotem Dr. Shelley K. Cockrell Martial Carbonnaux Prof. James M. Pipas Prof. David A. Weitz |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Physics, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 (USA);2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (USA) |
| Abstract: | Metagenomic studies suggest that only a small fraction of the viruses that exist in nature have been identified and studied. Characterization of unknown viral genomes is hindered by the many genomes populating any virus sample. A new method is reported that integrates drop‐based microfluidics and computational analysis to enable the purification of any single viral species from a complex mixed virus sample and the retrieval of complete genome sequences. By using this platform, the genome sequence of a 5243 bp dsDNA virus that was spiked into wastewater was retrieved with greater than 96 % sequence coverage and more than 99.8 % sequence identity. This method holds great potential for virus discovery since it allows enrichment and sequencing of previously undescribed viruses as well as known viruses. |
| Keywords: | genome sequencing high‐throughput screening microemulsions microfluidics viruses |