Monday, July 25, 2011
Grand Ballroom, 5th fl (Sheraton New Orleans)
The new era in industrial biotech research is increasingly driven by cost-efficient next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies. Workflow-based, scalable software systems are required for systematically managing large data volumes produced by next-generation sequencers and for interpreting genotype data across complex production strain ancestries. The design of improved production strains based on NGS data is of major interest to Evonik Degussa, a leading producer of L-amino acids by microbial production strains derived from C. glutamicum and E. coli. To support this innovative research at Evonik Degussa, Genedata Selector™ has been developed to provide a fully automated data analysis pipeline comparing an unlimited number of strain genomes resulting from random mutagenesis campaigns and directed strain engineering strategies. Genedata Selector™ has been successfully used to systematically analyse and annotate microbial strains including automatically identifying and categorizing point mutations in their genetic and biological context. The software features interactive, zoomable viewers for genomic data and features. The process predicts the mutations’ influence on gene products (e.g. modifying an enzyme’s active site) or on gene regulation (e.g., altering a transcription factor’s DNA binding site). This study demonstrates how next-generation sequencing and Genedata Selector™ can support rational genomic design strategies for developing strains to optimize yield of L-amino acids, with applicability to other biotech products such as vitamins and enzymes.