Revealing new insights into biological processes
Base modifications, such as DNA methylation, are key components of biological processes such as gene expression, host-pathogen interactions, DNA damage and DNA repair. Epigenetic processes are a major area of interest to researchers due to their links to major human diseases like cancer. Historically, it has been challenging to study the broad range of base modifications because very few are amenable to molecular biology techniques, especially sequencing.
The PacBio RS detects single nucleotide additions in real time, directly measuring the kinetic properties of base additions during the sequencing process. These kinetic measurements present characteristic patterns in response to a variety of base modifications such as 5-methylcytosine, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, 6-methyladenine, 8-oxoguanine, and more. Pacific Biosciences expects that researchers will use this capability to study a broad range of base modifications at single base resolution.
For example, SMRT® sequencing of whole bacterial genomes including positions of 6-methyladenine is currently in development. We believe that once in the hands of researchers this will allow studies that correlate adenine methylation patterns in various bacterial strains to biological processes at single base resolution. This information has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of microbial genomes. As the technology progresses, we expect to be able to address larger genomes in a comprehensive manner.
This application solution is currently in development. See the Resources section below for available tools and resources.
