title: How do we compare hundreds of bacterial genomes?
abstract: The genomic revolution is fully upon us in 2006 and the pace of discovery is set to accelerate with the emergence of ultra-high-throughput sequencing technologies. Our complete genome collection of bacteria and archaea continues to grow in number and diversity, as genome sequencing is applied to an array of new problems, from the characterization of the pan-genome to the detection of mutation after experimentation and the exploration of microbial communities in unprecedented detail. The benefits of large-scale comparative genomic analyses are driving the community to think about how to manage our public collections of genomes in novel ways.
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Oxford OX1 3SR, UK. dfield@ceh.ac.uk
authors.forename: Dawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Field
authors.forename: Gareth
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van der Gast
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D005075:Biological Evolution; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D004463:Ecology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D023281:Genomics / Q000639:trends; D013045:Species Specificity