To carry out the PhyloGenome Project, you must first choose a genome project to work with.

Select a species with a sequenced genome that has been published in the scientific literature, and that is not already included in the PhyloGenome card set (check the Species section of the Search & filter tool). Download the corresponding scientific article (you may need to do this from the University computers, or connected to the University VPN, to get access to the journal).

Consult both the scientific article and the databases you are familiar with to provide the following information:

(a) Species name (and variety, if applicable), and the group it belongs to (archaeobacteria, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, invertebrates, vertebrates, plants). Provide any additional relevant information about the species you consider necessary.

(b) What criteria do you think led to the prioritization of this genome’s sequencing?

(c) Provide the citation of the scientific article where the genome was published in the format: Surname, Initial of first name (only for the first author) et al. (Year) Title. Journal Volume: Page start-Page end, and the link to the publication. For example: Kim, S. et al. (2014) Genome sequence of the hot pepper provides insights into the evolution of pungency in Capsicum species. Nature Genetics 46: 270-278, http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v46/n3/full/ng.2877.html.

(d) Provide relevant information about the structure and contents of this genome: size, number of chromosomes, number of genes, gene density per megabase, and percentage of repetitive DNA (or transposable elements).

(e) Put all the information you found in (d) into context with other species that belong to the same group as yours. For example, does your species have a genome of average size compared to other species in the same group? Does it have a similar number of genes to other species in the same group? And what about the percentage of repetitive DNA? Consult the data in the class slides: