Japan (JSPS) Postdoctoral Program: Investigation of Long- Term Nucleotide Base Substitution Rate Using Complete Mitochondrial DNA Genomes

该奖项将提供补充支持， 格鲁吉亚大学的杰克斯克·里维斯博士将主持 与长谷川正美博士合作研究12个月 日本东京统计数学研究所的研究员。 利用几个完全不同的 测序的动物物种（人、牛、小鼠、青蛙、果蝇）， 研究人员将运用统计技术， 长期估计数及其标准误差 基本DNA碱基（A、C、G、T）的取代率。 在 此外，他们将获得估计和标准误差的 不同物种分枝间的相对时间距离。 要使用的方法是新颖的，因为完整的 将使用五种动物的线粒体DNA基因组; 每一个都有大约16,500个碱基对 这将允许 研究人员试图解决的问题是， 特异性碱基对置换大致恒定 在数百万年的进化史上， 序列中的位置对替代率的影响。 长谷川博士是一个既定的领导者，在应用 统计学的遗传学领域，和研究所 统计数学应该证明是一个理想的环境， 里夫斯博士继续并扩大他的研究。

This award will provide supplementary support to enable Dr. Jaxk Reeves of the University of Georgia to conduct collaborative research for 12 months with Dr. Masami Hasegawa of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics in Tokyo, Japan. Using the complete mitochondrial genome of several completely sequenced animal species (human, cow, mouse, frog, fruit fly), the researchers will apply statistical techniques to obtain estimates and standard errors thereof of the long-term substitution rates of the elemental DNA bases (A,C,G,T). In addition, they will obtain estimates and standard errors of the relative time-distances between various species' branchings. The approach to be used is novel in that the complete mitochondrial DNA genome of five animal species will be used; approximately 16,500 base pairs for each. This will allow the researchers to address the questions of whether the rate of specific base pair substitution has been approximately constant over the millions of years of evolutionary history, and what effect position in the sequence has on substitution rates. Dr. Hasegawa is an established leader in the application of statistics to the field of genetics, and the Institute of Statistical Mathematics should prove an ideal environment for Dr. Reeves to pursue and expand his research.