Advances in technology: automated DNA sequencers

The concept of genomics relies on the determination of DNA sequence. Plant genomes range in size over 1,000 fold, from about 100Mbp (Fragaria) to 125Gbp (Fritillaria). Until the late 1970s it was not feasible to decipher sequences longer than 20bp.

This changed when two new sequencing methods were published in 1977 (Maxam & Gilbert, 1977, Sanger et al., 1977), and even more dramatically so in 1991 when automated sequencing machines were developed (Hunkapiller et al., 1991).

The AB3700 sequencer from Applied Biosystems. The advent of capillary electrophoresis and liquid-handling robotics has increased the current capacity of DNA sequencing to Mbp per day.