genomic sequencing

1. The sequencing of the entire genome of an organism.

A Closer Look

The technique that allows researchers to read and decipher the genetic information found in the DNA of anything from bacteria to plants to animals is called genomic sequencing. Once a tedious, painstaking process, today, thanks to new techniques and the advent of powerful computers, it has been sped up a hundredfold. Sequencing involves determining the order of bases, the nucleotide subunits (adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine, referred to by the letters A, G, C and T) found in DNA. (Humans have about 3 billion base pairs.) Three nucleotides in a row specify one kind of amino acid, and a gene is defined by a long string of these triplets. There are various techniques to read the sequence of these “letters” in genes and genomes. So-called shotgun sequencing was used to help decode the human genome. Using this method, the DNA to be sequenced is first broken apart with enzymes, since gene-sequencing machines can only handle small stretches of DNA at a time. Once these random fragments are sequenced, powerful supercomputers compare overlapping sections and recreate the original, long strand. By decoding genomes and sequencing genes, researchers are beginning to understand how those strings of letters work together to create a living organism.

Example Sentences

Genomic sequencing also revealed that D. catalonica has a haploid chromosome number of four autosomes plus one X chromosome, while D. tilosensis has six autosomes and one X chromosome.

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Metagenomics technology uses cutting-edge genomic sequencing, which can identify all bacteria, funghi or parasites present in a sample by comparing them against a database of millions of pathogens.

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"Part of the difficulty in establishing whether BV is sexually transmitted has been that we still don't know precisely which bacteria are the cause, but advances in genomic sequencing are helping us close in on that mystery," she added.

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A: I want to avoid speculating because I don’t really know, but I do want to say we get millions and millions of dollars every year that allows us to have a public health lab here so we can quickly test specimens, do genomic sequencing and help build the knowledge base around what we’re seeing for all kinds of infectious diseases.

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Vivienne has been involved with Genomics England since 2013, and highlights that some of the predictions from the 1995 Tomorrow's World about genomic sequencing have come true, as she works on a research study to help diagnose and treat genetic conditions.

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