Comprehensive characterization of genomic composition in environmental microbial samples has been challenging, because the majority of... » More

Comprehensive characterization of genomic composition in environmental microbial samples has been challenging, because the majority of microorganisms are difficult to culture. Additional challenges include a high degree of genetic diversity between and within species, various level of relative abundance and ubiquitous presence of cell-free DNA. Single cells or single molecules genomic assays hold great promise for tackling these challenges. Recent progresses in the developments of these technologies, including single cell genome sequencing, multiplex polony-based analysis of single cells and microbial cell sorting with lab-on-chip devices will be discussed.

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