Project description:Vocal learning and neuronal replacement have been studied extensively in the songbird brain, but until recently, few molecular and genomic tools have been available for this work. Here we describe new molecular/genomic resources for songbird research. We made cDNA libraries from zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) brains at different developmental stages. A total of 11000 clones were sequenced from these libraries, representing 5870 unique gene transcripts. A web-based database has been established for sequence analysis and functional annotations. The cDNA libraries were not normalized. Sequence analysis revealed that a cDNA library made from brains at post-hatching day 30-50, when the song system goes through rapid development and birds learn to sing, shows the highest gene discovery rate. We grouped genes into functional categories according to the Gene Ontology classification and found that expression of the functional categories changed as the brain developed. We also identified five microRNAs whose sequences are highly conserved between zebra finch and other species. We printed cDNA microarrays and profiled gene expression in the HVC of both adult male zebra finches and canaries (Serinus canaria). Statistical Analysis of Microarrays (SAM) was used for data analysis. A subset of the differentially regulated genes was validated by in situ hybridization. The bioinformatic tools EASE and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis were used to identify over-represented functional groups and gene networks among the regulated genes. These resources provide songbird biologists with tools for genome annotation, comparative genomics, and microarray gene expression analysis. Keywords: HVC, songbird, cDNA microarray, gene expression
Project description:The Investigators will conduct a longitudinal, mixed-methods cohort study to assess primary and secondary psychosocial outcomes among 705 MyCode pediatric participants and their parents, and health behaviors of parents whose children receive an adult- or pediatric-onset genomic result. Data will be gathered via quantitative surveys using validated measures of distress, family functioning, quality of life, body image, perceived cancer/heart disease risk, genetic counseling satisfaction, genomics knowledge, and adjustment to genetic information; qualitative interviews with adolescents and parents; and electronic health records review of parents’ cascade testing uptake and initiation of risk reduction behaviors. The investigators will also conduct empirical and theoretical legal research to examine the loss of chance doctrine and its applicability to genomic research.
Project description:Consumer-resource interactions are a central issue in evolutionary and community ecology because they play important roles in selection and population regulation. Most consumers encounter resource variation at multiple scales, and respond through phenotypic plasticity in the short term or evolutionary divergence in the long term. The key traits for these responses may influence resource acquisition, assimilation and/or allocation. To identify candidate genes, we experimentally assayed genome-wide gene expression in pond and lake Daphnia ecotypes exposed to alternate resource environments. One was a simple, high-quality laboratory diet, Ankistrodesmus falcatus. The other was the complex natural seston from a large lake. In temporary ponds, Daphnia generally experience high-quality, abundant resources, whereas lakes provide low-quality, seasonally shifting resources that are chronically limiting. For both ecotypes, we used replicate clones drawn from a number of separate populations.
Project description:Despite recent technological advances, novel allergen discovery is limited by the low abundance of particular allergenic proteins, the large diversity of allergen sources, and the high variability in patient IgE antibody reactivity due to study specific populations. Here we describe a comprehensive discovery pipeline for allergenic proteins that accounts for biological and molecular variability using allergenomics, high-throughput screening of genomic databases and high-resolution mass spectrometry.
Project description:Tomato Genomic Resources Database (TGRD) allows interactive browsing of tomato genes, micro RNAs, simple sequence repeats (SSRs), important quantitative trait loci and Tomato-EXPEN 2000 genetic map altogether or separately along twelve chromosomes of tomato in a single window. The database is created using sequence of the cultivar Heinz 1706. High quality single nucleotide polymorphic (SNP) sites between the genes of Heinz 1706 and the wild tomato S. pimpinellifolium LA1589 are also included. Genes are classified into different families. 5'-upstream sequences (5'-US) of all the genes and their tissue-specific expression profiles are provided. Sequences of the microRNA loci and their putative target genes are catalogued. Genes and 5'-US show presence of SSRs and SNPs. SSRs located in the genomic, genic and 5'-US can be analysed separately for the presence of any particular motif. Primer sequences for all the SSRs and flanking sequences for all the genic SNPs have been provided. TGRD is a user-friendly web-accessible relational database and uses CMAP viewer for graphical scanning of all the features. Integration and graphical presentation of important genomic information will facilitate better and easier use of tomato genome. TGRD can be accessed as an open source repository at http://59.163.192.91/tomato2/.