Six years of microbial genomes Optical mapping in CDC, Atlanta GA

Optical mapping is a method for constructing genome-wide, high-resolution ordered restriction maps from molecules of DNA,called "optical maps". By mapping the location of restriction enzyme sites along the unknown DNA of an... [ view full abstract ]

Optical mapping is a method for constructing genome-wide, high-resolution ordered restriction maps from molecules of DNA,called "optical maps". By mapping the location of restriction enzyme sites along the unknown DNA of an organism, the spectrum of resulting DNA fragments together serves as a unique "barcode", "fingerprint",or “blueprint” for that sequence. Originally developed by Dr. David C. Schwartzand his lab at NYU in the 1990s this method has since been integral to the assembly process of many large-scale sequencing projects for both microbial and eukaryotic genomes. Initially, the optical mapping system has been used to construct whole-genome restriction maps of bacteria, parasites, and fungi. It has also been used to scaffold and validate bacterial genomes. To serve as scaffolds for assembly, assembled sequence contigs can be scanned for restriction sites in silico using known sequence data and aligning them to theassembled genomic optical map. We provide data of six years optical mapping experiencein CDC on successfully constructed 2000 optical maps for different human microbial pathogens.