Projektbeschreibung
Genomische Variationen in Menschenaffen
Um die Prozesse der genomischen Variation zu verstehen, müssen wir die Genome früherer Arten bestimmen und Veränderungen während der Evolution zurückverfolgen. Das EU-finanzierte Projekt ApeGenomeDiversity konzentriert sich auf die Vielfalt der Menschenaffen und möchte anhand von alten Proben einen direkten Blick auf die Genome ausgestorbener Populationen erhalten. Durch einen Vergleich mit Proben von heutigen Affen wird das Forschungsteam Erkenntnisse zum Ursprung und der Dynamik genomischer Varianten erlangen und nachvollziehen können, welchen Anteil sie an der Genomlandschaft lebender Arten haben. Vor allem wird das Projekt Einblick in die Geschichte unserer nächsten Verwandten und die funktionale Bedeutung bestimmter Introgressionsereignisse in der Evolution gewähren.
Ziel
In our quest to fully understand the processes that shape the genomic variation of species, describing variation of the past is a fundamental objective. However, the origins and the extent of great ape variation, the genomic description of extinct primate species and the genomic footprints of introgression events all remain unknown. Even today, and in contraposition to human evolutionary biology, the almost null presence of ancient great ape samples has precluded a comprehensive exploration of such diversity.
Here, I present two approaches that will expose great ape diversity throughout time and will allow me to compare the genomic impact of introgression events across lineages. First, I would like to take advantage of ancient ape samples that will provide us with a direct view of the genomes of extinct populations. Second, I would like to exploit current and recent diversity to indirectly access the parts of extinct ape genomes that became hybridized with current species in the past. For the latter, we will analyse hundreds of non-invasive samples taken from present-day great apes as well as historical specimens. Altogether, this information will enable me to decipher novel genomes that until now have been lost in time. In this way, I will be able to properly understand the origins and dynamics of genomic variants and to study how admixture has contributed to today´s adaptive landscape.
By completing this proposal and performing analogies to the human lineage, fundamental insights will be revealed about (i) the spatial-temporal history of our closest species and (ii) the functional consequences of introgressed events. On top of that, these results will help to annotate functional consequences of novel mutations in the human genome. In so doing, a fundamental insight will be provided into the evolutionary history of these regions and into human mutations with multiple repercussions in the understanding of evolution and human biology.
Wissenschaftliches Gebiet
Programm/Programme
Thema/Themen
Finanzierungsplan
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantGastgebende Einrichtung
08002 Barcelona
Spanien