Automation for the Arabidopsis genome sequencing project

At present, existing technology is being used at the Stanford Center in order to test its capabilities and increase the efficiency of the sequencing operation. All the shearing, oligonucleotide synthesis, plaque picking and template preparations for the sequencing projects in progress at the center, including the Arabidopsis genomeproject, are now performed using the instruments described. Plates of plaques can be routinely processed to templates with a throughput of up to 2000 templates d. This part of the system is expected to be fully automated by early 1997, by which time the desired throughput of 10 000 templates d should be achieved. The templates are currently sequenced using commercially available instruments - ABI Catalysts (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, USA) and MJ thermocyclers (MJ Research, Watertown, USA). Gels are run on ABI 373s and 377s. The high-through-put microthermal cycler is expected to be brought into the operation by mid-1997, and a prototype of the capillary electrophoresis sequencer should be in a position to be tested in late 1997. The system should be completed in 1998. The actual operating cost of the existing instruments is in line with the projected cost for assembled sequence of $0.01 base.