Interrupted coding sequences in Mycobacterium smegmatis: authentic mutations or sequencing errors?
2007

Errors in Mycobacterium smegmatis Genome Sequencing

Sample size: 73 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Caroline Deshayes, Emmanuel Perrodou, Sebastien Gallien, Daniel Euphrasie, Christine Schaeffer, Alain Van-Dorsselaer, Olivier Poch, Odile Lecompte, Jean-Marc Reyrat

Primary Institution: Université Paris Descartes

Hypothesis

Should bacterial interrupted coding sequences (ICDS) be individually verified to produce an informative genome sequence?

Conclusion

A significant proportion of interrupted coding sequences in Mycobacterium smegmatis are due to sequencing errors, which can affect protein predictions and annotations.

Supporting Evidence

  • 28 out of 73 investigated interrupted coding sequences were found to be sequencing errors.
  • The errors led to significant changes in predicted protein sequences.
  • The study suggests that each bacterial ICDS should be investigated individually.

Takeaway

Scientists found that many mistakes in the DNA sequence of a bacteria were just errors from the way it was read, not real changes in the bacteria itself.

Methodology

The study involved resequencing the genome and using mass spectrometry to analyze interrupted coding sequences.

Limitations

The study could not predict whether a given ICDS corresponds to an authentic event or a sequencing error without individual investigation.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/gb-2007-8-2-r20

Want to read the original?

Access the complete publication on the publisher's website

View Original Publication