ASGSB 2001 Abstracts - Phylogenomics: why evolutionary analysis and genomics should be combined into a single composite approach. J.A. Eisen. Department of Microbial Genomics, The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, MD.

ASGSB 2001 Annual Meeting Abstracts

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Phylogenomics: why evolutionary analysis and genomics should be combined into a single composite approach. J.A. Eisen. Department of Microbial Genomics, The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, MD.

Evolutionary analysis can greatly benefit studies of genome sequences and genome analysis can reveal a great deal about evolution. There is a feedback loop between evolutionary studies and genome analysis such that it is useful to combine them into a single composite phylogenomic analysis. I discuss the reasons for using a phylogenomic approach and in particular why careful evolutionary analysis can reveal a great deal more than simple comparative studies. I will discuss specific examples of phylogenomic analyses relating to recent genome sequencing projects at TIGR including 1) prediction of gene function; 2) inferring evolutionary events such as gene loss, duplication and gene transfer 3) studying mechanisms of mutation such as inversions and deletions 4) identifying organellar derived genes in eukaryotic genomes and 5) identifying genes under strong selective pressure such as antigen sites in pathogen genomes. Finally, I discuss how genome analysis may require us to rethink our views on the origin and evolution of organisms, in particular microbes.

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