反转座基因注释工具的开发及在家蚕基因组中的应用

反转座基因是由RNA介导而形成的基因重复，对研究新基因产生和基因组的进化具有重要意义。但是，由于缺乏类似注释基因的生物信息工具，对基因组中反转座基因的注释程度远远不够，这严重制约了对其特性和功能的研究。本项目拟开发快速且准确的流程工具，以家蚕基因组为例，对基因组中的反转座基因进行挖掘，全面分析家蚕基因组中反转座基因的序列特征、表达差异、同源进化和遗传多样性，研究其与重复序列及长链非编码RNA的关系，探讨反转座基因在昆虫基因组进化过程中的演变机制。最后，本项目还将利用流程工具注释野蚕、昆虫和其它动植物的反转座基因，开发在线分析平台，便于用户查找和分析数据信息，为深入理解反转座基因的功能和进化提供依据。

RNA-based gene duplication, known as retrocopy, plays important roles in gene origination and genome evolution. However, comprehensive and unified annotation of retrocopies in genome is still lacking because no bioinformatics tool can do that. This project intends to develop a fast and accurate pipeline to annotate retrocopies. Using the silkworm genome as an example, we will comprehensively analyze sequence characteristics, expression differences, homologous evolution and genetic diversity of retrocopies, and studies their relationship with repeat sequence and LncRNA. Moreover, we will explore the relationship between retrocopies and insect genome evolution. Finally, the project will also use the pipeline annotate retrocopies in wild silkworms, insects and other animals and plants, develop an online platform for users to analyze data, and provide evidence for understanding the function and evolution of retrocopies in genome.