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

该项目将调查使用超保守的基因组元件(UCES)作为种群和物种的遗传和进化研究的主要数据的效用。UCES是基因组中很少发生变化的区域，并且在非常不同的有机体群体(从人类到蜥蜴)中共享。因此，UCES可能会提供成百上千的数据点，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(来自三个生物纲)基因组2386个UCE区域的DNA并对其进行排序，以测试UCES作为生物种群研究的通用数据标记的实用性和能力。UCE将为生物多样性和进化的深入遗传研究提供一个独特和重要的新工具，同时还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：从整个生物体目和生物体类别的数千个基因产生数据；使以前不可能的数千个物种的基因组多样性同时进行苹果对苹果的比较；并为种群基因组研究提供速度和成本的巨大提高。该项目将支持阿拉斯加的生物信息学培训研讨会，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.