Genomics of Tetrahymena

近世纪来，研究人员一直在研究生活在池塘中的纤毛原生动物四膜虫，在细胞和分子生物学方面取得了许多基础性发现，其中两项获得了诺贝尔奖。为了保持其作为首要模式生物的地位，四膜虫需要良好发展和维护的基因组资源。值得注意的是，四膜虫在其单个细胞内拥有两个不同的细胞核和不同的基因组“一个生殖细胞和一个体细胞”。五年多前，体细胞基因组被测序和注释，揭示了大约25，000个基因。虽然这些数据对四膜虫研究人员来说是无价的，但基因组组装和许多基因模型都有缺陷或不完整（这是此类草案级项目的典型特征）。利用从其他来源获得的转录组学和比较基因组数据，该项目将对重要的基因组资源进行急需的修复。此外，生殖细胞基因组序列现在刚刚可用。该项目将探索生殖系基因组的结构，它如何与它在发育中产生的体细胞基因组相关，以及两种基因组在进化过程中发生变化的方式。更广泛的影响：这些数据将用于更新和增强四膜虫基因组数据库的资源和功能，为广大研究人员提供服务，从而对科学的网络基础设施产生更广泛的影响。该社区也非常重视其对研究和教育相结合的承诺。该项目将为研究生和本科生提供实验室和生物信息学经验。在与纤毛虫基因组学联盟，教师和学生在不同的学院和大学的网络合作，该项目将建立一个自我维持的计划，不断更新四膜虫的基因组资源，同时通过让他们参与原创和有价值的研究赋予学生权力。

For nearly a century, researchers have studied the pond-dwelling ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena, making numerous fundamental discoveries in cell and molecular biology, including two that won Nobel prizes. To maintain its position as a premier model organism, Tetrahymena needs well-developed and maintained genomic resources. Remarkably, Tetrahymena houses two distinct nuclei with distinct genomes 'one germline and one somatic' within its single cell. Over five years ago, the somatic genome was sequenced and annotated, revealing about 25,000 genes. Although the data have been invaluable to Tetrahymena researchers, the genome assembly and many of the gene models are flawed or incomplete (as is typical of such draft-level projects). Using transcriptomic and comparative genomic data obtained from other sources, this project will perform much needed repairs to the essential genomic resources. In addition, the germline genome sequence has just now become available. This project will explore the structure of the germline genome, how it is related to the somatic genome to which it gives rise in development , and ways in which both genomes have changed over the course of evolution. Broader Impact: These data will be used to update and enhance the resources and functionalities of the Tetrahymena Genome Database, serving a wide community of researchers and thus providing a strong broader impact to the cyber-infrastructure of science. This community also takes very seriously its commitment to the integration of research and education. The project will provide laboratory and bioinformatic experience to graduate and undergraduate students. In partnership with the Ciliate Genomics Consortium, a network of faculty and students at diverse colleges and universities, the project will establish a self-sustaining program to continually update Tetrahymena's genomic resources while empowering students by engaging them in original and valuable research.