DNA base-calling from a nanopore using a Viterbi algorithm

Biophys J. 2012 May 16;102(10):L37-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.04.009. Epub 2012 May 15.

Abstract

Nanopore-based DNA sequencing is the most promising third-generation sequencing method. It has superior read length, speed, and sample requirements compared with state-of-the-art second-generation methods. However, base-calling still presents substantial difficulty because the resolution of the technique is limited compared with the measured signal/noise ratio. Here we demonstrate a method to decode 3-bp-resolution nanopore electrical measurements into a DNA sequence using a Hidden Markov model. This method shows tremendous potential for accuracy (~98%), even with a poor signal/noise ratio.

Publication types

  • Letter
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Base Sequence
  • DNA / genetics*
  • Electricity
  • Genome, Human / genetics
  • Humans
  • Markov Chains
  • Nanopores*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA / methods*
  • Signal-To-Noise Ratio

Substances

  • DNA