Open AccessThe evolution of bacterial genome assemblies - where do we need to go next?
Author(s) -
Eric Altermann,
Halina E. Tegetmeyer,
Ryan M. Chanyi
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
microbiome research reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2771-5965
DOI - 10.20517/mrr.2022.02
Subject(s) - metagenomics , blueprint , genome , biology , decipher , dna sequencing , pace , computational biology , evolutionary biology , data science , genetics , gene , computer science , geography , engineering , mechanical engineering , geodesy
Genome sequencing has fundamentally changed our ability to decipher and understand the genetic blueprint of life and how it changes over time in response to environmental and evolutionary pressures. The pace of sequencing is still increasing in response to advances in technologies, paving the way from sequenced genes to genomes to metagenomes to metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). Our ability to interrogate increasingly complex microbial communities through metagenomes and MAGs is opening up a tantalizing future where we may be able to delve deeper into the mechanisms and genetic responses emerging over time. In the near future, we will be able to detect MAG assembly variations within strains originating from diverging sub-populations, and one of the emerging challenges will be to capture these variations in a biologically relevant way. Here, we present a brief overview of sequencing technologies and the current state of metagenome assemblies to suggest the need to develop new data formats that can capture the genetic variations within strains and communities, which previously remained invisible due to sequencing technology limitations.