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Human Genome News, January 1993; 4(5)
About 150 people attended the First International Escherichia coli Genome Meeting on September 10-14, 1992, in Madison, Wisconsin. Organized as a follow-up to the 1991 Banbury E. coli conference,the meeting consisted of invited talks, poster sessions, and hands-on workshops for researchers analyzing the E. coli genome at the genetic, sequence, and structural levels. Organizers included Bill Reznikoff (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Ross Overbeek (Argonne National Laboratory), Monica Riley (Marine Biological Laboratory), Kenn Rudd (National Library of Medicine), and John Roth (University of Utah). Topics and speakers are highlighted below.
Strategies. Investigators from several laboratories outlined the strategies used for large-scale sequencing (random-complete coverage, gap filling, and ordered) and the resulting data.
Sequence Analysis. Comparative sequence analyses were presented to help derive evolutionary trees, with evidence indicating that horizontal recombination occurs within the overall framework of vertical inheritance. The existence and location of repetitive sequences and insertion sequences were discussed.
Databases. Various databases available to the E. coli research community were described, as well as approaches to developing an integrated database. During the meeting, many participants experimented with various software packages.
Tools. Topics included molecular mechanisms for chromosome structure changes, genetic tools for analyzing genome structure, and computerized methods for identifying interesting sequences.
Networks. Many E. coli genes respond to multiple regulatory signals, and some are connected into overlapping networks. Speakers described several of these networks and the underlying physiological responses, including those involved in anaerobiosis, phosphate limitation, heat shock, and galactose utilization.
Structure. Analyses were presented on chromosome structure and proteins that generate and maintain interesting chromosome structures. Speakers also discussed how changing chromosome structure can affect gene expression.
Participants agreed on the need for a database coordination workshop, which will be organized by Manfred Kroeger (EMBL-Heidelberg), and for annual genome meetings. The 1993 conference is tentatively scheduled for September 9-13 in Madison.
Reported by Bill Reznikoff
University of Wisconsin-Madison
The electronic form of the newsletter may be cited in the following style:
Human Genome Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Human Genome News (v4n5).
The Human Genome Project (HGP) was an international 13-year effort, 1990 to 2003. Primary goals were to discover the complete set of human genes and make them accessible for further biological study, and determine the complete sequence of DNA bases in the human genome. See Timeline for more HGP history.
Published from 1989 until 2002, this newsletter facilitated HGP communication, helped prevent duplication of research effort, and informed persons interested in genome research.
