Project description:In mammals brain evolution, specifically that of the cerebellum, is a focus of evolutionary change. Here we functionally characterize the phylogenetically-restricted novel gene, piggyBac transposable element. The ChiP-exonuclease assay protocol was performed as in Serandour's method. The libraries were quantified by using the KAPA library quantification kit for Illumina sequencing platforms (KAPA Biosystems, KK4824) and sequenced on HiSeq following the manufacturer’s protocol.
Project description:n mammals brain evolution, specifically that of the cerebellum, is a focus of evolutionary change. Here we functionally characterize the phylogenetically-restricted novel gene, piggyBac transposable
Project description:Neuronal diversity is a defining feature of the mammalian brain deemed necessary for realizing the complex function of the nervous system. In order to begin to understand the transcriptional basis of this diversity, we collected more than 170 neuronal and non-neuronal cell type-specific transcriptomes defined operationally by transgenic mouse lines and anatomical regions. The dataset indicates that the genes specifically expressed in neuronal cell types are biased toward long genes. We revealed that these long genes have higher capacities to be differentially expressed between cell types and thus assume an important role in diversification of the neuronal transcriptomes. Since mobile element insertions are the main cause of the gene elongations, we propose that exaptation of the inserted mobile elements significantly contributed to the neuronal diversity.