microgen - the laboratory for genomics and bioinformatics

The focus of this project will be to engage students from the undergraduate campuses in re-annotation of microbial genome sequence databases.

Currently, one of the most vexing problems faced by the discipline of microbial genomics is the paucity of efforts for ongoing curation of the existing microbial genome sequence databases. This leads to a gradual degradation of the usefulness of this resource since no new studies are being incorporated into this database and the scientific community thus cannot derive its full benefit. Funding agencies have typically been reluctant to devote resources to curation or "re-annotation" of these genome sequence databases, once established. Re-annotation of these resources has therefore typically been an ad hoc process, generally performed by the original group that sequenced the genome. The process of updating these databases has often been haphazard and non-uniform. Further, re-annotation of a genome sequence database typically involves considerable effort but little explicit academic reward, which acts as a disincentive.

Encouraged by the recent AAAS review of the OK BRIN project, we plan to use the potential of microbial genome sequence re-annotation as a way to introduce Oklahoma undergraduate students to bioinformatic analysis of genome sequence data, and at the same time update and enhance the annotation of existing microbial genome sequence databases. The OKRA project will be directed by Mr. Edgar Scott, our Multi-Campus Bioinformatics Education Specialist with the support of the INBRE Bioinformatics Core at the OUHSC.

For more information, please contact Edgar Scott.