Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 12, 2026
08:57
Amplicon Sequencing using the Long-Read Sequencing Technologies
Published on: August 29, 2025
454
Whole-genome sequencing data from long-term serial passaging of 11 SARS-CoV-2 isolates
Charles S P Foster1,2, Gregory J Walker1,2, Tyra Jean1
1Serology and Virology Division (SAViD), NSW Health Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Microbiology Resource Announcements
|November 6, 2025
Summary
This study tracks the evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) through serial passaging in a lab setting. The findings provide insights into viral evolution applicable to real-world human populations.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Serial passaging of viruses in vitro is a valuable method for studying viral evolution.
- Understanding viral evolutionary trajectories aids in predicting and managing outbreaks.
- Longitudinal data is crucial for observing evolutionary changes over time.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a longitudinal dataset of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) evolution.
- To compare in vitro viral evolution with trends observed in human populations.
- To provide a resource for future studies on viral adaptation and pathogenicity.
Main Methods:
- Collection of a longitudinal dataset spanning 2020-2023.
- Serial passaging of 11 SARS-CoV-2 isolates in vitro over 33-100 passages.
- Amplicon-based whole-genome sequencing of viral isolates.
Main Results:
- Generation of a comprehensive genomic dataset detailing SARS-CoV-2 evolution under controlled passaging.
- Identification of specific genetic changes and evolutionary patterns during prolonged in vitro culture.
- Data enables comparative analysis between laboratory-evolved and naturally circulating strains.
Conclusions:
- The generated dataset serves as a valuable resource for understanding SARS-CoV-2 evolutionary dynamics.
- In vitro serial passaging effectively models key aspects of viral evolution.
- Findings contribute to the broader knowledge of virus adaptation and host-pathogen interactions.
Related Concept Videos
01:57Sanger Sequencing
773.0K
DNA sequencing is a fundamental technique that is routinely used in the biological sciences. This method can be applied to a range of questions at different scales - from the sequencing of a cloned DNA fragment or the study of a mutation in a gene up to whole-genome sequencing. However, despite the widespread use of sequencing today, it was not until 1977 that Fredrick Sanger and his collaborators developed the chain-termination method to decode DNA sequences. It relies on the separation of a...
773.0K
03:00Next-generation Sequencing
97.6K
The first human genome sequencing project cost $2.7 billion and was declared complete in 2003, after 15 years of international cooperation and collaboration between several research teams and funding agencies. Today, with the advent of next-generation sequencing technologies, the cost and time of sequencing a human genome have dropped over 100 fold.
Next-Generation Sequencing Methods
Although all next-generation methods use different technologies, they all share a set of standard features....
Next-Generation Sequencing Methods
Although all next-generation methods use different technologies, they all share a set of standard features....
97.6K
03:21RNA-seq
11.7K
RNA sequencing, or RNA-Seq, is a high-throughput sequencing technology used to study the transcriptome of a cell. Transcriptomics helps to interpret the functional elements of a genome and identify the molecular constituents of an organism. Additionally, it also helps in understanding the development of an organism and the occurrence of diseases.
Before the discovery of RNA-seq, microarray-based methods and Sanger sequencing were used for transcriptome analysis. However, while...
Before the discovery of RNA-seq, microarray-based methods and Sanger sequencing were used for transcriptome analysis. However, while...
11.7K
01:05Maxam-Gilbert Sequencing
12.6K
In the same year as the discovery of the Sanger sequencing method, another group of scientists, Allan Maxam and Walter Gilbert, demonstrated their chemical-cleavage method for DNA sequencing. The Maxam-Gilbert method relies on using different chemicals that can cleave the DNA sequence at specific sites, the separation of resulting DNA fragments of variable size using electrophoresis, and deciphering the DNA sequence from the resulting gel bands.
Challenges of the Maxam-Gilbert Method
The...
Challenges of the Maxam-Gilbert Method
The...
12.6K
02:02Genomics
39.6K
Genomics is the science of genomes: it is the study of all the genetic material of an organism. In humans, the genome consists of information carried in 23 pairs of chromosomes in the nucleus, as well as mitochondrial DNA. In genomics, both coding and non-coding DNA is sequenced and analyzed. Genomics allows a better understanding of all living things, their evolution, and their diversity. It has a myriad of uses: for example, to build phylogenetic trees, to improve productivity and...
39.6K
01:05Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs
17.9K
A single nucleotide polymorphism or SNP is a single nucleotide variation at a specific genomic position in a large population. It is the most prevalent type of sequence variation found in the human genome. Point mutations that occur in more than 1% of the population qualify as SNPs. These are present once every 1000 nucleotides on an average in the human genome. Replacement of a purine with another purine (A/G) or a pyrimidine with another pyrimidine (C/T) is known as a transition. In contrast,...
17.9K