Featuring: Steven Salzberg, John Hopkins University
The Redwood Genome Project: sequencing and assembling the largest trees in the world
Abstract: The Redwood Genome Project is a five-year effort that will sequence the coast redwood and giant sequoia genomes and develop tools to assess genetic diversity. Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) and sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) are the two largest trees in the world, and among the longest-lived, with life spans exceeding 3000 years. To re-establish the genetic diversity of the remaining redwood forests, we have undertaken an effort to sequence the genomes of both species. Sequoia has an unusually large genome, estimated at 9 gigabases, and redwood is three times larger, 27 gigabases, due to its hexaploid genome. We have undertaken a strategy that combines Illumina and Oxford Nanopore data for assembly, following by the use of long-range linking information from Hi-C libraries and scaffolding by Dovetail Genomics. This talk will describe the just-finished sequoia assembly and the ongoing effort to assemble the redwood tree.
Lunch will be provided.