Collaborative Research: EAGER: Using ultraconserved elements (UCEs) as genomic markers to study shallow levels of evolutionary divergence

该项目将研究使用基因组超保守元件（UCEs）作为种群和物种遗传和进化研究的主要数据的效用。UCEs是基因组中很少改变的区域，并且在非常不同的生物群体（从人类到蜥蜴）中共享。因此，UCEs可以潜在地提供数百到数千个数据点，这些数据点在大型分类组中是通用的，以供分析。该项目将捕获18个物种（来自3个生物类别）基因组的2386个UCE区域的DNA并对其进行测序，以测试UCEs作为生物种群研究通用数据标记的效用和能力。UCE将为生物多样性和进化的深入遗传研究提供一个独特而重要的新工具，同时也有助于解决保护生物学和野生动物管理方面的问题。基于uce的方法的发展可能会产生来自整个目和生物类别的数千个基因的数据；使以前不可能在同一时间对数千个物种的基因组多样性进行苹果对苹果的比较；并为人口基因组研究提供速度的大幅提高和成本的降低。该项目将支持阿拉斯加的一个生物信息学培训讲习班，向公众发布所有数据和源代码，并在同行评议的期刊上发表结果。

This project will investigate the utility of using ultra conserved elements of the genome (UCEs) as primary data for genetic and evolutionary studies of populations and species. UCEs are regions of the genome that rarely change, and that are shared across very divergent organismal groups (from humans to lizards). Thus, UCEs could potentially provide hundreds to thousands of data points that are universal across large taxonomic groups for analysis. This project will capture and sequence the DNA of 2,386 UCE areas of the genome across 18 species (from three organismal classes) in order to test the utility and power of UCEs as universal data markers for organismal population studies. UCE's will provide a unique and important new tool for in-depth genetic studies of biodiversity and evolution while also helping to address problems in conservation biology and wildlife management. Development of UCE-based approaches may: produce data from thousands of genes across entire orders and classes of organisms; enable previously impossible apples-to-apples comparisons of genomic diversity among thousands of species at a time; and provide quantum increases in speed and decreases in cost for population genomic studies. This project will support a bioinformatics training workshop in Alaska, release all data and source code to the public, and publish results in peer-reviewed journals.