Molecular Genetics and Genomics

The CTP "Molecular Genetics and Genomics" is available to IGB scientists and collaborates with external institutions and interest groups. It provides laboratories, equipment, and expertise for various molecular and genomic analyses at all IGB locations. Basic techniques such as DNA extraction, PCR, and purification are available at all sites. More advanced methods are offered at specific locations.

The applied techniques include:

• Metabarcoding and amplicon sequencing
• Reduced representation sequencing
• Transcriptomics and RNA-seq
• Mitochondrial- and whole-genome sequencing
• Resequencing and pool-seq
• Shot-gun metagenomics
• Functional genomics
• Genetic engineering of prokaryotes and eukaryotes
• Physiological and metabolic analyses

Bioinformatic analyses can be carried out on dedicated servers at all locations. Larger-scale computations can utilise specialised nodes on an HPC cluster available via BeGenDiv.

Facilities at the locations

All locations
✔ DNA/RNA extraction, electrophoresis, size selection
✔ PCR and qPCR, PCR product purification, sequencing library preparation
✔ Nanopore (ONT) sequencing
✔ Bioinformatics servers and HPC cluster access

Berlin-Friedrichshagen
✔ Preparative gels and purification
✔ S1 laboratory for cloning and miniprep (clean bench)
✔ Primary cell cultures (fish, frogs)
✔ Biochemical analyses (carbohydrates/glycerids, fats, and fatty acids)
✔ Capillary sequencer (Beckman Coulter) for fragment analysis

Berlin-Dahlem
✔ eDNA extraction and sample preparation
✔ Next-generation sequencing (Illumina)
✔ Automated pipetting robots (Biomek i7 Hybrid)

Stechlin
✔ Preparative gels and purification
✔ DNA/RNA extraction and purification for metagenomics
✔ Flow cytometry and cell sorting (BD FACS ARIA II)