CAREER: A Genomics Approach to Identifying the Factors Influencing Phylogenetic Accuracy

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公法111-5)资助的。系统发育树是所有比较生物学的基础。由于许多生物群体之间的系统发育关系仍然知之甚少，因此识别分子系统发育中影响准确性的因素对于提高生命树的准确性至关重要。酵母代表了一个极好的模型来解决这个问题，因为这个群体有丰富的基因组数据。这个项目将分析大量的酵母基因组，以：识别酵母中完整的一套分子标记；获得酵母的准确系统发育；以及识别对某些分子标记的系统发育效用产生负面影响的因素。拟议的研究结果将有助于建立更准确的生命树，并有助于开发统计方法，以克服危害系统发育准确性的因素的影响。系统发育所传达的信息是进化理论的基石，也是生物学的核心组织原则。然而，无论是学生还是专业人士，都经常曲解系统发生学的含义。为了在整个教育体系中促进对系统发生学的理解，该项目将涉及(I)对高中教师和学生进行关于系统发生学原理和概念的培训，(Ii)开发一门本科课程，将研究成果纳入科学课堂和实验室的课程，以及(Iii)培训国际实验室的下一代科学家。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Phylogenetic trees are the foundation of all comparative biology. Because phylogenetic relationships among many groups of organisms are still poorly understood, the identification of the factors compromising accuracy in molecular phylogenies is critical for improving the accuracy of the tree of life. The yeasts represent a superb model to address this question, due to the abundance of genomic data for the group. This project will analyze numerous yeast genomes to: identify the complete set of molecular markers across yeasts; obtain an accurate phylogeny of yeasts; and to identify the factors that negatively influence the phylogenetic utility of certain molecular markers. The outcomes of the proposed research will aid the generation of a more accurate tree of life, and the development of statistical methodology for overcoming the effects of factors that compromise phylogenetic accuracy.The information conveyed by phylogenies is a cornerstone of evolutionary theory, the central organizing principle of biology. However, the meaning of phylogenies is frequently misinterpreted by students and professionals alike. To promote understanding of phylogenetics across the educational continuum, the project will involve (i) training of high school teachers and students on the principles and concepts of phylogenetics, (ii) development of an undergraduate course which will integrate research results into the curriculum of the science classroom and laboratory, and (iii) training of the next generation of scientists in the PI's laboratory.