WGS_of_Sf1Ep_cell_line

Syphilis, caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (TPA) is considered a re-emerging disease with over 5.6 million cases worldwide. The recently described in vitro culture model (containing rabbit epithelial cells – Sf1Ep cells) has opened new avenues for the study of the basic biology of this pathogen. We will take advantage of the in vitro model and link its use to high throughput genomic approaches to provide unique insights into the gene expression profiles of this pathogen. We will perform dual RNA-seq of multiple strains grown in vitro under different conditions. To facilitate the dual RNA-seq data analyses, we will first sequence, assemble and annotate the genome of Sf1Ep cells. Complete WGS of Sf1Ep cell will allow us to describe genome-wide interaction-linked transcriptional alterations of the infected host cells in our next project. We are planning to sequence two samples of Sf1Ep cells. One sample represents the original ECACC cell line and second sample represent the faster-growing cells arose from the original cell line that seems to be supporting treponemal grow better.