The sequencing of whole genomes is producing information at an unprecedented pace. This information is accelerating, and in some cases changing, the goals of the molecular biologist. Most current genomic analysis is focused on identifying genes and comparing their encoded proteins. While the analysis of proteins is essential for understanding human biology, protein-coding sequences account for only a small portion of the human genome. Other important genomic features, such as promoter regulatory elements and non-coding RNAs, need to be identified and characterized as they also contribute to diseases. Many of these sequence features are hard to identify because they are short or they evolve more quickly than protein-coding sequences. Comparative sequence analysis will be employed to identify important parts of the yeast genome that are conserved between related species. The work utilizes large-scale sequencing of genomes of different yeast species followed by comparisons to identify the conserved features. The hypothesis generated by these computational methods will then be tested experimentally to determine their biological significance. The lesson learned and experience gained in this analysis of the yeast genome will help guide future characterizations of the human genome.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Type
Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F32)
Project #
1F32HG000218-01
Application #
6210804
Study Section
Genome Study Section (GNM)
Program Officer
Graham, Bettie
Project Start
2000-08-01
Project End
Budget Start
2000-08-01
Budget End
2001-07-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2000
Total Cost
$30,916
Indirect Cost
Name
Washington University
Department
Genetics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
062761671
City
Saint Louis
State
MO
Country
United States
Zip Code
63130
Cliften, P F; Hillier, L W; Fulton, L et al. (2001) Surveying Saccharomyces genomes to identify functional elements by comparative DNA sequence analysis. Genome Res 11:1175-86