After nearly ten weeks of learning our way around the lab, collecting samples, isolating organisms and sequencing their 16s ribosomal genes we are finally at the point where we are ready to choose our first candidate organisms for whole-genome sequencing!

The Plan:

1. Choose candidate organisms
2. Prepare a DNA library for each organism for Illumina sequencing
3. Sequence and analyze genomes

Although we have a couple of pilot samples for which we are already preparing libraries, most of our organisms need to be screened for admittance into the elite group of “good candidate organisms.”

So who are these potential candidates?

Where were they found?

And perhaps most relevant to our project, have they been sequenced before?

Continue reading “Bacterial Candidates: A Closer Look at the Contestants”