Coding sequence evolution in salmonids

The combination of next generation sequencing with a comparative genomics approach appears particularly promising towards yielding detailed insights into issues related to evolutionary biology. Very recently canadian scientists applied this strategy to investigate patterns of nucleotide substitutions in five species of the salmonid family (Salmo salar, Onchorynchus mykiss, Salvelinus fontinalis, Salvelinus namaycush, Coregonus clupeaformis) and compare this information with other fishes (Esox lucius, Danio rerio) for which genome information is available in order to infer the role of natural selection on the evolution of protein coding genes.

Results of the study warrant further investigation in regards to the putative role of positive selection in the process of adaptive divergence in salmonids. Findings of this study are published in the latest issue of Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Workshop on Comparative Genomics: North America, 10-23 July, 2011

The Workshop on Comparative Genomics will consist of a series of lectures, demonstrations and computer laboratories that cover various aspects of comparative genomics. The course is designed for established investigators, postdoctoral scholars, and advanced graduate students. Admission is limited and highly competitive, with admissions decisions determined by an international committee.

Topics to be covered include:

• Sequencing technologies: short-read sequencing technologies of various types
• Assembly and alignment: basic analyses in de novo and resequencing studies
• Gene finding and annotation: functional description of genomic data
• Genome characterization: gene content; genome structure; synteny; SNPs; copy number variation (CNV)
• Assigning sequences to taxonomic groups in metagenomic studies: moving from sequences of unknown taxa to known taxa

Venue: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Application forms and complete schedule are available online.