Workflow: Microbial genome assembly

Assembling microbial genomes using long nanopore sequencing reads

In order to understand the true diversity and functions of microorganisms, producing fully annotated, complete genomes is essential. However, 90% of bacterial genomes are predicted to be incomplete.

Compared to short-read sequencing data, long nanopore sequencing reads simplify genome assembly, with the ability to span repeat-rich sequences (characteristic of antimicrobial resistance genes) and structural variants. Nanopore sequencing also shows a lack of bias in GC-rich regions, in contrast to other sequencing platforms, further supporting the assembly of complete genomes.

Here we present a simple workflow for bacterial genome assembly from a single-organism culture, using MinION™ Flow Cells on MinION or GridION™ sequencing devices.

Download the workflow