BLR: a flexible pipeline for haplotype analysis of multiple linked-read technologies.

Linked-read sequencing promises a one-method approach for genome-wide insights including single nucleotide variants (SNVs), structural variants, and haplotyping. We introduce Barcode Linked Reads (BLR), an open-source haplotyping pipeline capable of handling millions of barcodes and data from multiple linked-read technologies including DBS, 10× Genomics, TELL-seq and stLFR. Running BLR on DBS linked-reads yielded megabase-scale phasing with low (<0.2%) switch error rates. Of 13616 protein-coding genes phased in the GIAB benchmark set (v4.2.1), 98.6% matched the BLR phasing. In addition, large structural variants showed concordance with HPRC-HG002 reference assembly calls. Compared to diploid assembly with PacBio HiFi reads, BLR phasing was more continuous when considering switch errors. We further show that integrating long reads at low coverage (∼10×) can improve phasing contiguity and reduce switch errors in tandem repeats. When compared to Long Ranger on 10× Genomics data, BLR showed an increase in phase block N50 with low switch-error rates. For TELL-Seq and stLFR linked reads, BLR generated longer or similar phase block lengths and low switch error rates compared to results presented in the original publications. In conclusion, BLR provides a flexible workflow for comprehensive haplotype analysis of linked reads from multiple platforms.

High throughput barcoding method for genome-scale phasing.

The future of human genomics is one that seeks to resolve the entirety of genetic variation through sequencing. The prospect of utilizing genomics for medical purposes require cost-efficient and accurate base calling, long-range haplotyping capability, and reliable calling of structural variants. Short-read sequencing has lead the development towards such a future but has struggled to meet the latter two of these needs. To address this limitation, we developed a technology that preserves the molecular origin of short sequencing reads, with an insignificant increase to sequencing costs. We demonstrate a novel library preparation method for high throughput barcoding of short reads where millions of random barcodes can be used to reconstruct megabase-scale phase blocks.

Fast and Efficient Fc-Specific Photoaffinity Labeling To Produce Antibody-DNA Conjugates.

Antibody-DNA conjugates are powerful tools for DNA-assisted protein analysis. Growing usage of these methods demands efficient production of high-quality conjugates. We developed an easy and fast synthesis route yielding covalent antibody-DNA conjugates with a defined conjugation site and low batch-to-batch variability. We utilize the Z domain from protein A, containing the unnatural amino acid 4-benzoylphenylalanine (BPA) for photoaffinity labeling of the antibodies' Fc region. Z(xBPA) domains are C-terminally modified with triple-glycine (G3)-modified DNA-oligonucleotides via enzymatic Sortase A coupling. We show reliable modification of the most commonly used IgG's. To prove our conjugates' functionality, we detected antibody-antigen binding events in an assay called Droplet Barcode Sequencing for Protein analysis (DBS-Pro). It confirms not only retained functionality for both conjugate parts but also the potential of using DBS-Pro for quantifying protein abundances. As intermediates are easily storable and our approach is modular, it offers a convenient strategy for screening various antibody-DNA conjugates using the same starting material.

Droplet Barcode Sequencing for targeted linked-read haplotyping of single DNA molecules.

Data produced with short-read sequencing technologies result in ambiguous haplotyping and a limited capacity to investigate the full repertoire of biologically relevant forms of genetic variation. The notion of haplotype-resolved sequencing data has recently gained traction to reduce this unwanted ambiguity and enable exploration of other forms of genetic variation; beyond studies of just nucleotide polymorphisms, such as compound heterozygosity and structural variations. Here we describe Droplet Barcode Sequencing, a novel approach for creating linked-read sequencing libraries by uniquely barcoding the information within single DNA molecules in emulsion droplets, without the aid of specialty reagents or microfluidic devices. Barcode generation and template amplification is performed simultaneously in a single enzymatic reaction, greatly simplifying the workflow and minimizing assay costs compared to alternative approaches. The method has been applied to phase multiple loci targeting all exons of the highly variable Human Leukocyte Antigen A (HLA-A) gene, with DNA from eight individuals present in the same assay. Barcode-based clustering of sequencing reads confirmed analysis of over 2000 independently assayed template molecules, with an average of 753 reads in support of called polymorphisms. Our results show unequivocal characterization of all alleles present, validated by correspondence against confirmed HLA database entries and haplotyping results from previous studies.