Evolutionary & Bioinformatics Research

Ongoing EGG Research Projects:

1. Evolutionary genomics of the human transcriptome. Collaboration with the H-Invitation consortium (https://www.jbirc.aist.go.jp/hinv/index.jsp) involving the development of methodology for high-throughput estimation of selective pressures acting on individual human genes Work is being applied to these specific aims:
   1. Developing new techniques for assaying selective pressures following gene duplication events;
   2. Profiling selective regimes acting across the human genome;
   3. Examination of selective pressures of genes involved with uniquely human attributes and processes;
   4. Examination of the importance of alternative splicing on genome evolution.
2. Evolution and expression of monosaccharide transporters in alternative generations (sporophyte, gametophyte) of Ceratopteris (fern), in collaboration with Jeff Hill and Deborah Johnson.
3. Reconstructing the microbial ancestral genome. In collaboration with Pete Sheridan.
4. Identification of functional conserved elements in non-coding genomic sequence. In collaboration with Leonid Hanin (ISU Mathematics).
5. Idaho Center for Extragenomics (ICE). Bioinformatics component of plasmid sequencing project led by Malcolm Shields (www.ice.isu.edu).