Simplifying Genome Annotation and Examples of Large-Scale Projects in DNA Barcoding (Red and Blue Lines)

Gene annotation provides opportunities for students to gain first-hand knowledge of the dynamic nature of genomes and to add new knowledge about gene structure, function, and diversity. The updated Red Line features WebApollo, a web-based version of the popular Apollo annotation tool. WebApollo removes the Java dependency, and its user-friendly interface greatly simplifies editing.

Over the last several years, the Urban Barcode Project has tested the large-scale application of DNA barcoding in New York City high schools. Since 2012, 500 students from 90 schools have completed projects on species diversity, food fraud, invasive species, and disease vectors. Barcode Long Island is a distributed “campaign,” involving 150 students in its pilot phase, to investigate the species diversity of the southernmost glacial landscape on the east coast of the US. These projects have generated 6,700 sequence reads and identified 160 novel barcode sequences.