Pangenome graphs in infectious disease: a comprehensive genetic variation analysis of Neisseria meningitidis leveraging Oxford Nanopore long reads

Bibliographic Details
Title: Pangenome graphs in infectious disease: a comprehensive genetic variation analysis of Neisseria meningitidis leveraging Oxford Nanopore long reads
Authors: Zuyu Yang, Andrea Guarracino, Patrick J. Biggs, Michael A. Black, Nuzla Ismail, Jana Renee Wold, Tony R. Merriman, Pjotr Prins, Erik Garrison, Joep de Ligt
Source: Frontiers in Genetics, Vol 14 (2023)
Publisher Information: Frontiers Media S.A., 2023.
Publication Year: 2023
Collection: LCC:Genetics
Subject Terms: pangenome graphs, infectious diseases, genomic surveillance, comparative genomics, genetic variation, long-read sequencing, Genetics, QH426-470
More Details: Whole genome sequencing has revolutionized infectious disease surveillance for tracking and monitoring the spread and evolution of pathogens. However, using a linear reference genome for genomic analyses may introduce biases, especially when studies are conducted on highly variable bacterial genomes of the same species. Pangenome graphs provide an efficient model for representing and analyzing multiple genomes and their variants as a graph structure that includes all types of variations. In this study, we present a practical bioinformatics pipeline that employs the PanGenome Graph Builder and the Variation Graph toolkit to build pangenomes from assembled genomes, align whole genome sequencing data and call variants against a graph reference. The pangenome graph enables the identification of structural variants, rearrangements, and small variants (e.g., single nucleotide polymorphisms and insertions/deletions) simultaneously. We demonstrate that using a pangenome graph, instead of a single linear reference genome, improves mapping rates and variant calling for both simulated and real datasets of the pathogen Neisseria meningitidis. Overall, pangenome graphs offer a promising approach for comparative genomics and comprehensive genetic variation analysis in infectious disease. Moreover, this innovative pipeline, leveraging pangenome graphs, can bridge variant analysis, genome assembly, population genetics, and evolutionary biology, expanding the reach of genomic understanding and applications.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1664-8021
Relation: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2023.1225248/full; https://doaj.org/toc/1664-8021
DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1225248
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/ceef009a36e442af8b7829bafeada4dd
Accession Number: edsdoj.f009a36e442af8b7829bafeada4dd
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:16648021
DOI:10.3389/fgene.2023.1225248
Published in:Frontiers in Genetics
Language:English