Next Generation Sequencing

In a new paper out in PNAS, Michael Lynch and colleagues report their findings from a comparative whole-genome pyrosequencing of yeast genomes. A total of four haploid genomes were sequenced in the study using the 454 platform. Surprisingly, the researchers found that the number of large scale genome events (insertions, deletions, duplications etc) was comparable to the number of point mutations that occurred.

Sequencing was done with highly variable coverage along the genomes and this have caused the authors to hypothesize that the yeast clones are actually not truly haploid but seem to be entering a partly diploid stage where some chromosomes are diploid and some haploid.

GenomeWeb has an interview with the first author where he elaborates on this