Japan (JSPS) Postdoctoral Program: Investigation of Long- Term Nucleotide Base Substitution Rate Using Complete Mitochondrial DNA Genomes

该奖项将为佐治亚大学的Jaxk Reeves博士与日本东京统计数学研究所的Masami Hasegawa博士进行为期12个月的合作研究提供补充支持。利用几种完全测序的动物物种（人类、奶牛、小鼠、青蛙、果蝇）的完整线粒体基因组，研究人员将应用统计技术获得基本DNA碱基（A、C、G、T）的长期替代率的估计和标准误差。此外，他们将获得不同物种分支之间相对时间距离的估计值和标准误差。将使用的方法是新颖的，因为将使用五种动物的完整线粒体DNA基因组；每个基因大约有16,500个碱基对。这将使研究人员能够解决以下问题：在数百万年的进化史中，特定碱基对的取代率是否大致恒定，以及序列中的位置对取代率有什么影响。长谷川博士是将统计学应用于遗传学领域的公认领导者，统计数学研究所应该是里夫斯博士追求和扩展研究的理想环境。

This award will provide supplementary support to enable Dr. Jaxk Reeves of the University of Georgia to conduct collaborative research for 12 months with Dr. Masami Hasegawa of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics in Tokyo, Japan. Using the complete mitochondrial genome of several completely sequenced animal species (human, cow, mouse, frog, fruit fly), the researchers will apply statistical techniques to obtain estimates and standard errors thereof of the long-term substitution rates of the elemental DNA bases (A,C,G,T). In addition, they will obtain estimates and standard errors of the relative time-distances between various species' branchings. The approach to be used is novel in that the complete mitochondrial DNA genome of five animal species will be used; approximately 16,500 base pairs for each. This will allow the researchers to address the questions of whether the rate of specific base pair substitution has been approximately constant over the millions of years of evolutionary history, and what effect position in the sequence has on substitution rates. Dr. Hasegawa is an established leader in the application of statistics to the field of genetics, and the Institute of Statistical Mathematics should prove an ideal environment for Dr. Reeves to pursue and expand his research.