Task 3: Extending the application to metagenomics and RNA

Though task 2 is ambitious and sophisticated, if we succeed, it will merely lead to deeper studies.

We hope to get further insights from an examination of all the genetic material and its expression as RNA and as protein. It’s inevitable that, as the costs of sequencing drop, more groups will extend their work to this logical next phase.

The task of this working group is to ensure that this next step is taken efficiently and rationally.  For example, we’ll replace ad-hoc sequencing with protocols for rationally sequencing to a depth sufficient to capture a given fraction of the genomic material.

The challenges we hope to overcome

This work will be dogged by the same sequencing errors as the previous working group but now with different consequences. 

• High levels of sequencing error diminish our ability to gain insights into evolution and so we’ll strive to promote the highest standards when analysing raw sequencing data.
• Comparisons between separate studies may be impossible if different procedures are adopted by different laboratories.
• The analysis of whole genome data brings new challenges. For example, the individual segments of DNA distributed throughout the genomes of all the members of community need to be assembled into longer stretches of DNA.

The future - what we hope to achieve

Assuming data of suitable quality can be gathered we will be able to study evolution and biogeography at the same time.

We also hope to be able to develop an algorithm for meta-genomes. This can provide a wealth of information on the community structure and function.

Ecological insights may also be gained by determining when certain genetic material is expressed and by examining RNA or protein (proteomics). Though proteomics is not going through the same revolution that genomics is, it will offer an important and complementary perspective.