Development of a Feature and Template-Assisted Assembler and Application to the Analysis of a Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Genotyping Microarray

PLoS One. 2017 Jan 3;12(1):e0166870. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166870. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Several RT-PCR and genome sequencing strategies exist for the resolution of Foot-and-Mouth Disease virus (FMDV). While these approaches are relatively straightforward, they can be vulnerable to failure due to the unpredictable nature of FMDV genome sequence variations. Sequence independent single primer amplification (SISPA) followed by genotyping microarray offers an attractive unbiased approach to FMDV characterization. Here we describe a custom FMDV microarray and a companion feature and template-assisted assembler software (FAT-assembler) capable of resolving virus genome sequence using a moderate number of conserved microarray features. The results demonstrate that this approach may be used to rapidly characterize naturally occurring FMDV as well as an engineered chimeric strain of FMDV. The FAT-assembler, while applied to resolving FMDV genomes, represents a new bioinformatics approach that should be broadly applicable to interpreting microarray genotyping data for other viruses or target organisms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Capsid / metabolism
  • Computational Biology*
  • DNA Primers
  • Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus / genetics*
  • Genome, Viral
  • Genotype*
  • Nucleic Acid Hybridization
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis*
  • RNA, Viral / genetics
  • Software*

Substances

  • DNA Primers
  • RNA, Viral

Grants and funding

FMDV genotyping features exist as a subset of a larger panviral microarray supported by the USDA APHIS and interagency agreements with the Science and Technology Directorate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (awards HSHQDC-08-X-00501 and HSHQDC-10-X-00133).