The SIG Beat

News From and About the Scientific Interest Groups

NEW SIG: Long-read and Long-range Sequencing Scientific Interest Group

The past decade has demonstrated the power of genomics to unravel the etiology of complex traits and diseases. The vast majority of genomic studies have been based on mostly short-read sequencing technologies (50–200 base-pair fragments). With the development of long-read sequencing (such as technologies provided by Oxford Nanopore Technologies and Pacific Biosciences), it is now possible to routinely sequence fragments of 10–100 kilobases and longer. At the same time, long-range linkage technologies such as Hi-C or Strand-Seq can be used to profile chromosome-scale interactions. The Long-read and Long-range Sequencing SIG hosts a monthly seminar series focused on these new technologies and their applications.

Many recent studies highlighted the improved capability of long-read sequencing to detect structural variation in the human genome. The Telomere-to-Telomere consortium used long-read sequencing to produce the first complete assembly of the human genome. Further, the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium has recently released 47 nearly complete haplotype-resolved human genomes from diverse backgrounds sequenced using several long-read technologies.

Many groups at NIH already have explored recent advances in long-read sequencing with long-read and long-range technologies that make it feasible to sequence entire genomes, identify structural and complex variants, and sequence full-length transcriptomes of practically any imaginable sample. The SIG will build upon this new field’s changing and innovative technology in its monthly seminar series that will feature both internal and outside experts in the field. Potential future events include a scientific symposium and workshops to discuss best practices of sample preparation, sequencing, and data analysis.

A kickoff meeting will be held 2:00–3:00 p.m. on Friday, September 9; after that, meetings will be held at 2:00–3:00 p.m. on the first Friday of each month. Meetings will be held virtually for the foreseeable future. For more information and instructions for joining the LONG-READ-SIG LISTSERV (to receive notices about meetings, etc.), please visit the SIG website at https://oir.nih.gov/sigs/long-read. You can also contact the SIG chairs with other questions: Arang Rhie (rhiea@nih.gov; NHGRI), Cornelis Blauwendraat (cornelis.blauwendraat@nih.gov; NIA), or Mikhail Kolmogorov (mikhail.kolmogorov@nih.gov; NCI).

RENAMED SIG: Redox Biology

The Free Radical Research Interest group has been renamed the NIH Redox Biology Interest Group. The Redox Biology SIG hosts seminars and workshops that promote all aspects of basic, translational, and clinical research in redox biology. The SIG brings together individuals from a wide range of fields who are interested in understanding the roles of redox signaling and metabolism in human health and human disease.

The Redox Biology SIG draws from its historic roots with the Oxygen Club of Greater Washington, D.C., founded in 1987, which along with its sister NIH Free Radical SIG was one the first interdisciplinary groups organized to enhance collaborations in study and discussion on redox biology. The newly rebranded Redox Biology SIG is following in the footsteps of the Oxygen Club by promoting the dessemination of knowledge and research through seminars covering topics that span mechanisms of redox homeostasis and stress, mitochondrial functions and organelle signaling, nitrogen oxides and nitric oxide synthase biology, intermediate metabolism, immunobiology, DNA damage and repair, redox-based pharmacology and radiation treatments, redox analytical tools, and the chemistry of free radicals. The group also aims to foster interactions and collaborations across the NIH intramural community and with scientists from extramural research institutions and beyond. The Redox Biology SIG will provide a unique platform for many productive collaborations among its members and across disciplines.

The group meets 12:00–1:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month from September through June. Each meeting features a 50-minute presentation, followed by a 10-minute Q&A, by early-career and senior intramural or extramural investigators. Meetings will be held virtually for now; a link for each will be sent to subscribers to the Redox Biology Interest Group mailing list (LISTSERV). The inaugural talk will be held on September 1 at the special time of 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and will feature Boyi Gan (external link) (MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston), who has published groundbreaking studies on the molecular underpinnings of cancer metabolism, acquired resistance, and an iron-dependent type of cell death called ferroptosis.

For more information, including how to join the Redox Biology Interest Group LISTSERV mailing list, visit https://oir.nih.gov/sigs/redox-biology-interest-group, or contact the chair, Urbain Weyemi (urbain.weyemi@nih.gov; NCI).