This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. As we move into the post-genomic era new technologies have become available that allow for a greater and more complete understanding of non-human primate genetics. This project exploits these new opportunities to answer questions that have long existed and to improve existing studies. Specifically, we are using xenohybridization approaches to capture the complete exomes of rhesus macaques as well as other non-human primates prior to complete resequencing using next generation technologies. We will then use this information to improve the existing genomes, including identifying mistakes, fill in gaps, and identify variation. This will also allow us to better characterize the evolutionary changes at the genomic level, including better annotation of non-human primate orthologs and characterization of evolutionary rates of change across species and genes. We also are using this information to compare evolutionary rates of change for groups of genes associated with specific human diseases;schizophrenia and autism in particular have been hypothesized to have been derived from human-specific changes to the brain. Coupling with this growth in the quantity and quality of sequence information is the need for a robust bioinformatic infrastructure for accessing and integrating the data into ongoing research. Here we are developing tools that allow for a rapid and complete incorporation of genetic information into existing phenotypes, ensuring that researchers can immediately include genetics as a cofactor in their non-human primate research and to explore the relationship between genetics and environment in emerging traits.
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