Computational inference and analysis of ancestral genomes

祖先基因组的计算推理和分析

• 批准号: 262081-2013
• 负责人: Blanchette, Mathieu
• 金额: $ 5.03万
• 依托单位: McGill University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=571229
• 关键词: Computational; inference; analysis; ancestral; genomes

Advances in DNA sequencing technologies have resulted in the sequencing of the genomes of a large number of species from all domains of life. This represents an incredible opportunity to study the evolution of these genomes and interpret patterns of evolutionary events to help identifying functional elements in genomes. This also opens the door to the intriguing possibility that the genomes of ancestral species maybe be computationally inferred from those of extant species. In this proposal, we first aim to refine the computational tools needed to infer ancestral DNA sequences. We then propose to take advantage of these inferred ancestral sequences to better understand the origin of key regions of the human genome and of that of important crop and pathogen species. In particular, we will use these ancestral sequences to identify very ancient evolutionary events such as the insertion of transposons or pseudogenes, that have shaped the genomes of early mammals, but whose trace can no longer be recognized in extant genomes. We will also rely on our ability to infer ancestral sequences to study the genesis of new regulatory elements, in particular those that may have conferred primate-specific traits. Finally, we will train computational predictors to identify functional elements of the genome, in particular regulatory elements, on the basis of their inferred evolutionary history. Our project will bring important resources to the genomics community in the form of software and databases that will guide experimental biologists and genomicists in their analyses. It will also help shed light on the origin of key elements of our genome.

DNA测序技术的进步已经导致了来自所有生命领域的大量物种的基因组测序。这代表了一个不可思议的机会来研究这些基因组的进化，并解释进化事件的模式，以帮助识别基因组中的功能元素。这也为一种有趣的可能性打开了大门，即祖先物种的基因组可能是通过计算从现存物种的基因组中推断出来的。