A practical guide to fungal genome projects: Strategy, technology, cost and completion

Abstract

Since the publication of the first fungal genome in 1996, over 400 fungal genome projects have been launched, which makes fungi the most sequenced eukaryotic taxon. In this review, we sought to address the two major challenges associated with such projects, such as obtaining genomic sequence with high quality and attaching relevant biological information to the genomic sequence and features. Using the available literature and our own experiences in fungal genomics, we outline here the critical steps and quality control procedures for each stage of the genome project from library construction, sequencing to assembly and annotation, which will provide practical guidelines to optimize genome sequencing and annotation strategies. In addition, a brief overview of available comparative genomics and visualization tools is provided to assist investigators along the course of biological discovery. We also highlight how the success of a genomic project depends on close collaboration among experts from biological and computational sciences. © 2010 Mycological Society of China.