Using Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION for in situ, real-time sequencing of polar ocean microbes.
Led by: Leggett Group
Grants: NERC NEXUSS DTP studentship
We are working on using Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION for in situ, real-time sequencing of polar ocean microbes. Polar oceans are some of the most underexplored ecosystems in the world, with relatively little information about the microbial species which live there, despite their huge diversity and importance. Microbes, such as phytoplankton, which live in polar oceans are important in carbon capture, food-webs, and biogeochemical cycles of elements such as Nitrogen, Iron, and Silica.
Polar ecosystems are under significant threat from climate change and we don’t yet have a good understanding of how phytoplankton and other microbes will be affected, or what knock-on effects this will have. To understand this, and to create models for further research, we need to develop a better picture of which species are present where, and understand more about their life cycles, interactions, and responses to changing conditions. We are undertaking metagenomic DNA sequencing of polar ocean samples to achieve this.
DNA sequencing samples from polar oceans has been difficult because it takes months for the samples to get back to the lab, with unquantifiable loss of diversity occurring during storage. This is particularly problematic with metagenomic samples, where differences in culturability and DNA degradation rates can introduce biases to the species found. To counter this problem, we are using Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencing in situ, removing the need for sample storage and cell culturing prior to sequencing.
We will also perform real-time analysis to determine which species are present, using NanoOK. Real time information on which species are present could allow researchers to make evidence-based decisions on where and when to sample, saving vital resources.
This is a proof-of-concept study to show that probing and analysing polar microbes at the ocean-atmosphere interface can be done while on an expedition in polar oceans. In situ real-time MinION sequencing of metagenomic polar phytoplankton samples could solve many of the problems currently faced by researchers in this field.
The portability and lack of equipment requirements for sample preparation allow immediate sequencing of samples, thus preventing degradation and community alteration. The rapidity of MinION sequencing allows for the use of DNA sequencing data to be used in determining the progress of a research cruise, based on the identification of species of interest.
Long-read sequencing raises the possibility of using this data to build a reference database of polar phytoplankton which would aid research into genetic adaptations to changing conditions, improving our understanding of their response to climate change.
