Center for Innovation in Genome Technology
The center was established in 2019, with Professor YANG Yungui as its director (Part-time). At present, there are 6 R&D staffs. As a team for genomics technology innovation and development, we are focusing on the development and transformation application of technologies and methods, and support the research projects of the Institute and the National.
1. Research directions
Develop and optimize technologies and methods in genomics. The center will carry out technology research and development guided by National demands，the frontier of science and technology and the development of the Institute, which mainly including Sequencing and bioinformatics technologies of DNA, RNA and their modification at the level of low-input, single-cell multi-omics and the key core technologies of next generation sequencing, etc.
The center can provide special technology support services for BIG (CNCB) and other Institutes. And by the guidance of the technical expert committee of the center, we will cooperate with research groups to carry out technology transformation and application.
2. Annual research progress
In 2022, the Center focuses on the development of single-cell multi-omics sequencing technology and the cooperative research on the domestication genetic mechanism of in-breed laboratory mice.
(1) Through designing the novel Tn5 enzyme adaptors, we integrate the libraries preparation of single cell Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin (scATAC) with single cell RNA-seq, which simplifies the pipeline of simultaneous sequencing of scATAC and scRNA, improves the efficiency of library preparation, and reduces the cost of single cell multi-omics sequencing research.
(2) Cooperate with Prof. ZHANG Zhibin’s group of Institute of Zoology of Chinese Academy of Sciences, select the wild mice (from Europe and China) and the classic inbred line mice as samples, conduct comparative genome analysis through whole genome re-sequencing, analyze the genome component and evolutionary relationship of the laboratory mice, screen candidate genes that are being positively selected, and verify them through gene mutation experiment. A functional gene related to the tameness of laboratory mice was found, which provides a clue for the use of mouse models to study animal behavior and physiology.
