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Review
. 2012 Dec 20;434(2):175-80.
doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2012.09.027. Epub 2012 Oct 18.

Microbial virus genome annotation-mustering the troops to fight the sequence onslaught

J Rodney Brister  1 , Phillippe Le Mercier, James C Hu
Affiliations
Review

Microbial virus genome annotation-mustering the troops to fight the sequence onslaught

J Rodney Brister et al. Virology. .

Abstract

The revolution in virus genome sequencing promises to effectively map the extant biological universe and reveal fundamental relationships between viral biology, genome structure, and evolution. Indeed, microbial virus genomes include large numbers of conserved coding sequences of unknown function as well as unique gene combinations, implying that that these viruses will be a significant source of novel protein biochemistry and genome architecture. Yet, making sense of the approaching phalanx of A's, G's, T's, and C's stretching across the genome sequencing horizon will require innovation and an unprecedented coordination of annotation efforts among stakeholders.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Growth of virus RefSeq records
A. Cumulative number of virus nucleotide sequence records deposited in the RefSeq database from 1999 to 20121,2. B. Cumulative number of protein records deposited in the RefSeq database from 1999 to 20122. 1Individual viral segments are included in tabulations, not complete constellations. 2Number of records calculated on September 11, 2012.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Distribution of microbial virus RefSeq records
A. Current number1 of microbial virus nucleotide sequence records deposited in the RefSeq database broken down by host – algae, archaea, bacteria, diatom, fungi, protozoa. B. Current number1 of microbial virus protein sequence records deposited in the RefSeq database broken down by host – algae, archaea, bacteria, diatom, fungi, protozoa. 1Number of records calculated on September 11, 2012.
Figure 3
Figure 3. “Complete genome” sequences of virus RefSeq records
A. Cumulative number of bacteriophage genome sequence records indexed by GenBank as “complete genomes” by year, 1999 to 20121. Note some of these sequences have yet to be validated by RefSeq as full-length genomes. B. Cumulative number of bacteriophage protein sequence records derived from genome sequences in (A). 1Number of records calculated on September 11, 2012.
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