Long-read plasmid sequencing strategy for evaluating intrinsic instability of tandem gene arrays.

Abstract

Tandem gene arrays are inherently unstable, particularly in recombination-prone organisms such as the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae . However, understanding the nature of this instability-how frequently and to what extent the target array contracts or expands within the genome-remains challenging. As a surrogate approach to this goal, we propose using nanopore long-read sequencing to directly determine the length distribution of a target gene array cloned onto a centromeric plasmid functioning as an artificial chromosome. This strategy will not only allow us to assess the intrinsic instability of the array but also help identify factors that may influence its stability.