BOL: Related items

Job offer for a postdoctoral researcher in genomics / bioinformatics (2 years)

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 04:44:33 -0500

Ongoing research in the group of Karine Van Doninck involves topics at the core of
evolutionary biology, including the evolution of sex, genome maintenance,
recombination and extreme stress resistance on different eukaryotic systems,
including rotifers, amoeba and Corbicula clams. We are employing different tools
(including experimental ecology, population genetics, phylogeny, comparative
genomics, transcriptomics, bioinformatics, molecular and cellular biology) to study
evolutionary processes at the level of populations, both experimental and natural, and
genomes.

Offer
We offer a full-time contract for two years. The contract starts between October 2021
and December 2021. The position involves no or extremely light teaching load, if the
candidate is interested. Salaries are competitive at the European level. The recruited
person will benefit from the Belgian social insurance scheme (health care, etc.) without
additional expenses.

Profile
Applicants are expected to show outstanding commitment to research and must have
obtained a PhD by the start of the position. A strong expertise in genomics is required.
More specifically, solid competences in bioinformatics (e.g. scripting pipelines) and in
genome evolution are needed. Knowledge or interest regarding recombination,
metazoan evolution, phylogenomics and population genomics is an added-value.

Application
Applications should be submitted via email to karine.van.doninck@ulb.be. The
application package should contain the following documents:
- A curriculum vitae with the complete list of publications
- A cover letter mentioning why the candidate is interested in the position
- Minimum 2 recommendation letters
Interviews: Interviews will be conducted with the selected candidates. Selected
candidates could also be invited to give a seminar to MBE ULB.
For any additional information, please contact karine.van.doninck@ulb.be

Postdoctoral Scholar in Bacterial Evolution at Pathogen and Microbiome Institute at Northern Arizona University

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 12:49:16 -0600

We are pleased to announce a Postdoctoral Scholar position to study
bacterial evolution at the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute at
Northern Arizona University with Professor Paul Keim. The scholar
will have the opportunity also work with Professor Sam Sheppard at
The University of Oxford on joint projects. See our recent paper
on interspecific gene flow in Campylobacter. (DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.00581-24)

The job description: "This research position focuses on the science
of bacterial evolution. It will consist of researching theoretical
principles, but could include translational applications. Phylogenomic
and bioinformatic analysis of bacterial populations in nature or
in laboratory experiments will be a key component of the work. Prior
experience is an asset though training will be possible at PMI.
Likewise, laboratory microbiological, molecular, and biochemical
skills are an asset though not essential. Communication and critical
thinking skills are essential for performing the work and for
communicating to the local and international scientific communities.
Participating in team or independent grant writing to obtain research
funding will be required. Student mentoring is a part of the NAU
mission and is a partial expectation."

https://hr.peoplesoft.nau.edu/psp/ph92prta/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_APP_SCHJOB.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST&Action=U&FOCUS=Applicant&SiteId=1&JobOpeningId=608024&PostingSeq=1

Northern Arizona University is located in Flagstaff, Arizona, a
beautiful mountain town with a surprisingly vibrant restaurant
scene. Located a little over an hour from the Grand Canyon and ~45
min from Sedona, Flagstaff is a hiker's paradise. In fact, the city
of Flagstaff operates more than 50 miles of unpaved trails and there
are, on average, 266 sunny days per year with which to enjoy them.
At 7000 ft in elevation, Flagstaff experiences all four seasons,
but thesummers are mild and, in the winter, you can be on the ski
slopes within 30 min! https://www.flagstaffarizona.org/

As mentioned, joint projects with Professor Sheppard at Oxford
University are possible, including travel to his laboratory in the
United Kingdom. https://www.biology.ox.ac.uk/people/samuel-sheppard

Contact Information:
Paul.Keim@nau.edu

Paul S. Keim, Ph.D.
Regents Professor, &
Cowden Endowed Chair of Microbiology
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ 86011-4073

Paul S Keim

Oldest Hominin DNA Sequenced

Surajeet — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 19:58:31 -0600

Matthias Meyer and his team from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have developed new techniques for retrieving and sequencing highly degraded ancient DNA. They then joined forces with Juan-Luis Arsuaga and applied the new techniques to a cave bear from the Sima de los Huesos site. After this success, the researchers sampled two grams of bone powder from a hominin thigh bone from the cave. They extracted its DNA and sequenced the genome of the mitochondria or mtDNA, a small part of the genome that is passed down along the maternal line and occurs in many copies per cell. The researchers then compared this ancient mitochondrial DNA with Neandertals, Denisovans, present-day humans, and apes.

From the missing mutations in the old DNA sequences the researchers calculated that the Sima hominin lived about 400,000 years ago. They also found that it shared a common ancestor with the Denisovans, an extinct archaic group from Asia related to the Neandertals, about 700,000 years ago. "The fact that the mtDNA of the Sima de los Huesos hominin shares a common ancestor with Denisovan rather than Neandertal mtDNAs is unexpected since its skeletal remains carry Neandertal-derived features," says Matthias Meyer. Considering their age and Neandertal-like features, the Sima hominins were likely related to the population ancestral to both Neandertals and Denisovans. Another possibility is that gene flow from yet another group of hominins brought the Denisova-like mtDNA into the Sima hominins or their ancestors.

Reference

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131204132018.htm

Comparative genomics educational material and papers bookmarks

Jit — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 16:23:30 -0600

Alignment of the porcine genome against seven other mammalian genomes (Supplementary Information) identified homologous synteny blocks (HSBs). Using porcine HSBs and stringent filtering criteria, 192 pig-specific evolutionary breakpoint regions (EBRs) were located. The number of porcine EBRs is comparable to the number of bovine-lineage-specific EBRs (100) reported earlier using a slightly lower resolution (500 kilobases (kb)), indicating that both lineages evolved with an average rate of ~2.1 large-scale rearrangements per million years after the divergence from a common cetartiodactyl ancestor ~60 Myr ago². This rate compares to ~1.9 rearrangements per million years within the primate lineage (Supplementary Table 11). A total of 20 and 18 cetartiodactyl EBRs (shared by pigs and cattle) were detected using the pig and human genomes as a reference, respectively.

Address of the bookmark: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v491/n7424/abs/nature11622.html

Bergman Lab

Thu, 03 Oct 2013 17:20:09 -0500

Broad area of research:

Genome Annotation and Functional Genomics

Bergman Lab is actively engaged in the development and application of computational methods to improve the annotation of functional biological features in genome sequences. Bergman Lab work focuses on improving annotation of non-protein-coding regions of the genome including conserved noncoding sequences (CNSs), cis-regulatory modules (CRMs), transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs), transposable elements (TEs) and noncoding RNA (ncRNA) genes. Current projects include improving the (i) annotation of TEs in the fly and yeast genomes, (ii) annotation of CRMs and TFBSs in the fly genome, and (iii) analysis of transposon knockout collections in flies. Research in this area is supported by the EC FP7 programme.

Genome and Molecular Evolution
Text and Data Mining

More @ http://bergmanlab.smith.man.ac.uk/

The Kingsley Lab

Fri, 03 Jun 2016 09:55:10 -0500

The Molecular Basis of Vertebrate Evolution. Naturally occurring species show spectacular differences in morphology, physiology, behavior, disease susceptibility, and life span. Although the genomes of many organisms have now been completely sequenced, Kingsley lab still know relatively little about the specific DNA sequence changes that underlie interesting species-specific traits. Kingsley lab laboratory is using a combination of genetic and genomic approaches to identify the detailed molecular mechanisms that control evolutionary change in vertebrates.

Method in Comparative genomics !!

Jit — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 16:29:24 -0600

We present methods for the automatic determination of genome correspondence. The algorithms enabled the automatic identification of orthologs for more than 90% of genes and intergenic regions across the four species despite the large number of duplicated genes in the yeast genome. The remaining ambiguities in the gene correspondence revealed recent gene family expansions in regions of rapid genomic change.

We present methods for the identification of protein-coding genes based on their patterns of nucleotide conservation across related species. We observed the pressure to conserve the reading frame of functional proteins and developed a test for gene identification with high sensitivity and specificity. We used this test to revisit the genome of S. cerevisiae, reducing the overall gene count by 500 genes (10% of previously annotated genes) and refining the gene structure of hundreds of genes. We present novel methods for the systematic de novo identification of regulatory motifs. The methods do not rely on previous knowledge of gene function and in that way differ from the current literature on computational motif discovery. Based on the genome-wide conservation patterns of known motifs, we developed three conservation criteria that we used to discover novel motifs. We used an enumeration approach to select strongly conserved motif cores, which we extended and collapsed into a small number of candidate regulatory motifs. These include most previously known regulatory motifs as well as several noteworthy novel motifs. The majority of discovered motifs are enriched in functionally related genes, allowing us to infer a candidate function for novel motifs.

Our results demonstrate the power of comparative genomics to further our understanding of any species. Our methods are validated by the extensive experimental knowledge in yeast, and will be invaluable in the study of complex genomes like that of human.

Address of the bookmark: http://web.mit.edu/manoli/www/publications/Kellis_JCB_04.pdf

Welch Lab

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 18:21:13 -0500

They are based in the Department of Genetics at the University of Cambridge.

The research covers diverse areas of evolutionary biology, and molecular evolution in particular. It combines theoretical and empirical approaches, and particularly evolutionary inference from genome sequence data.

Links @ http://www.gen.cam.ac.uk/research/welch/GroupPage/Home.html

The Clark Lab

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 13:57:24 -0600

Study the process of Adaptive Evolution, during which species adopt novel traits to overcome challenges. We retrace the evolutionary histories of genomic elements to determine the changes underlying adaptation and to discover previously unknown genetic networks. These discoveries have already led to advances in human health, species conservation, and molecular biology.

More at http://clark.genetics.utah.edu/

04- Informatics Approach to Cancer - Interview with Dr. Joel Saltz

Mon, 07 Oct 2013 14:35:43 -0500

For additional information visit http://www.cancerquest.org/joel-saltz-interview. Dr. Joel Saltz is a Professor in the Departments of Pathology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, and Mathematics and Computer Science at Emory University. Dr. Saltz's research on bioinformatics spans several disciplines. One project involves applying computer analysis to medical imaging to yield better results for patients. As an example, a computer program may able to help doctors detect small cancers in a CT scan or mammogram. In this interview segment, Dr. Saltz discusses the informatics approach to cancer. To learn more about cancer and watch additional interviews, please visit the CancerQuest website at http://www.cancerquest.org.