PostDoctoral Research Fellowship in Biological Informatics FY2006

-项目名称：“确定果蝇X染色体上剂量补偿机制的顺式作用结合部位”该项目是根据2006年生物信息学博士后研究奖学金授予的。这项研究将应用比较基因组学/群体遗传学/生物信息学的工具，应用于最近可用的基因表达研究、新的完整基因组序列和高分辨率微阵列，以确定结合区域并从分子上表征X连锁基因在雄性果蝇中的剂量补偿作用。这项研究将揭示这些结合位点的分子性质，这些结合位点退化到什么程度，以及它们是否以组合方式使用。剂量补偿发生的过程是理解有性繁殖本身进化的基础。通过描述剂量补偿的机制，我们预计我们的结果将对我们了解真核生物如何在两性之间发展不同的染色体构成具有重要的意义。更广泛地说，这项研究适用于理解基因调控的进化，以及基因剂量在创造复杂表型(即性别决定)中的重要性。这位研究员将与加州大学圣地亚哥分校的彼得·安多法托和多丽丝·巴赫特罗合作，在那里他将与加州大学圣地亚哥分校的学生互动，并促进计算和经验小组以及功能和进化实验室之间的合作伙伴关系。培训将包括现有的软件工具、绑定站点的数据库设计，以及开发计算机代码以实施将公开提供的新方法。

--- Project Title: "Identifying cis-acting binding sites for the dosage compensation machinery on the Drosophila X-chromosome" This project is awarded under the Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biological Informatics Program for 2006. The research will apply tools from comparative genomics / population genetics / bioinformatics, to recently available gene expression studies, new complete genome sequences, and high-resolution microarrays to identify binding regions and molecularly characterize binding sites for the dosage compensation of X-linked genes in male Drosophila. This study will reveal the molecular nature of these binding sites, to what extent these sites are degenerate and whether they are used in a combinatorial manner. The process by which dosage compensation occurs is fundamental to understanding the evolution of sexual reproduction itself. By describing the mechanisms of dosage compensation we anticipate that our results will have important implications for our knowledge of how eukaryotic organisms have developed different chromosomal constitutions between the two sexes. More generally, this research is applicable to the understanding of the evolution of gene regulation, and the importance of gene dosage in creating complex phenotypes (i.e., sex determination). The fellow will work with Peter Andolfatto and Doris Bachtrog at the University of California at San Diego where he will interact with UCSD students and foster partnerships between computational and empirical groups as well as functional and evolutionary labs. Training will include existing software tools, database design for binding sites, and development of computer code to implement new approaches that will be made publicly available.