Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 39 minutes ago
A single tardigrade yields less than 1 ng of DNA, but PacBio HiFi sequencing and PiMmS can generate genome and transcriptome data from one tiny specimen.
In this PRISM 2026 live presentation, Witold Morek, Postdoctoral Fellow, Wellcome Sanger Institute, explains how Picogram input Multimodal Sequencing (PiMmS) supports comparative genomics for tiny meiofauna. The talk follows a tardigrade pilot study across 14 species, connecting ultra-low-input sequencing, Iso-Seq transcriptomes, and protein-family analysis to the evolution of anhydrobiosis.
*Key takeaways*
- A single tardigrade yields less than 1 ng of DNA, which makes single-specimen genome sequencing difficult with standard input requirements.
- PiMmS separates genomic and transcriptomic material from one tiny animal and can create long-read sequenceable libraries from picogram-scale input.
- The pilot study sequenced 14 tardigrade species, two specimens each, with PacBio HiFi on Sequel II system and Iso-Seq transcriptomic libraries for gene prediction.
- Morek says single-specimen assemblies were at least as good as, and sometimes exceeded, public lab-strain assemblies from thousands of specimens; PacBio HiFi data left basically no unresolved bases.
- Protein-family patterns suggest that the genetic background for anhydrobiosis differs across tardigrade groups, consistent with independent evolution of the trait twice.
*Featured speakers*
- Witold Morek, Postdoctoral Fellow, Wellcome Sanger Institute
*Chapters*
00:00 Sequencing "unsequenceable" meiofauna
02:15 PiMmS for single-specimen genome and transcriptome libraries
04:05 Tardigrades, extremotolerance, and anhydrobiosis
07:13 PacBio HiFi reference genomes for tardigrades
11:09 Orthogroups, protein disorder, and anhydrobiosis genetics
17:27 Acknowledgments
*Resources*
- PacBio biodiversity: pacb.com/plant-animal-sciences/biodiversity
- PacBio HiFi sequencing: pacb.com/technology/hifi-sequencing
- Plant and animal whole genome sequencing: pacb.com/products-and-services/applications/whole-genome-sequencing/plant-animal
- RNA sequencing and Iso-Seq methods: pacb.com/products-and-services/applications/rna-sequencing
Would single-specimen sequencing change how your lab studies small or hard-to-culture organisms? *Comment below.*
*Subscribe for more PacBio genomics content:*
youtube.com/@PacificBiosciences?sub_confirmation=1
Learn more about PacBio at pacb.com
Legal & Trademarks: pacb.com/legal-and-trademarks
#PacBio #HiFiSequencing #Tardigrades
A single tardigrade yields less than 1 ng of DNA, but PacBio HiFi sequencing and PiMmS can generate genome and transcriptome data from one tiny specimen.
In this PRISM 2026 live presentation, Witold Morek, Postdoctoral Fellow, Wellcome Sanger Institute, explains how Picogram input Multimodal Sequencing (PiMmS) supports comparative genomics for tiny meiofauna. The talk follows a tardigrade pilot study across 14 species, connecting ultra-low-input sequencing, Iso-Seq transcriptomes, and protein-family analysis to the evolution of anhydrobiosis.
*Key takeaways*
- A single tardigrade yields less than 1 ng of DNA, which makes single-specimen genome sequencing difficult with standard input requirements.
- PiMmS separates genomic and transcriptomic material from one tiny animal and can create long-read sequenceable libraries from picogram-scale input.
- The pilot study sequenced 14 tardigrade species, two specimens each, with PacBio HiFi on Sequel II system and Iso-Seq transcriptomic libraries for gene prediction.
- Morek says single-specimen assemblies were at least as good as, and sometimes exceeded, public lab-strain assemblies from thousands of specimens; PacBio HiFi data left basically no unresolved bases.
- Protein-family patterns suggest that the genetic background for anhydrobiosis differs across tardigrade groups, consistent with independent evolution of the trait twice.
*Featured speakers*
- Witold Morek, Postdoctoral Fellow, Wellcome Sanger Institute
*Chapters*
00:00 Sequencing "unsequenceable" meiofauna
02:15 PiMmS for single-specimen genome and transcriptome libraries
04:05 Tardigrades, extremotolerance, and anhydrobiosis
07:13 PacBio HiFi reference genomes for tardigrades
11:09 Orthogroups, protein disorder, and anhydrobiosis genetics
17:27 Acknowledgments
*Resources*
- PacBio biodiversity: pacb.com/plant-animal-sciences/biodiversity
- PacBio HiFi sequencing: pacb.com/technology/hifi-sequencing
- Plant and animal whole genome sequencing: pacb.com/products-and-services/applications/whole-genome-sequencing/plant-animal
- RNA sequencing and Iso-Seq methods: pacb.com/products-and-services/applications/rna-sequencing
Would single-specimen sequencing change how your lab studies small or hard-to-culture organisms? *Comment below.*
*Subscribe for more PacBio genomics content:*
youtube.com/@PacificBiosciences?sub_confirmation=1
Learn more about PacBio at pacb.com
Legal & Trademarks: pacb.com/legal-and-trademarks
#PacBio #HiFiSequencing #Tardigrades
