Alexis Snyder

Comparative Bioinformatics Between Fruit Fly Species

Abstract…

With gene therapies becoming increasingly popular treatments for disease, it is important to understand the functions of specific genes. A common way to gain a better understanding of genetics is through comparative bioinformatics, which compares two genomes to observe their evolutionary differences. Fruit flies are strong candidates for comparative bioinformatics studies due to their simple gene structure, similar genome to humans, and high reproduction rate. To gain a better understanding of mutations found in fruit flies, the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP) sponsored this project, which utilized websites such as NCBI Blast, Gene Record Finder, FlyBase, GEP Genome Browser, and Gene Model Checker to analyze computational predictions and RNA-seq data, annotate genes, and create gene models. Two genes within D. kikkawai flies were compared to their orthologs, either Syt7 or NfI, in D. melanogaster flies based on the collected data and developed models. Furthermore, a possible mutation between the species was discovered at the beginning of the region of study. By understanding genomic differences between these two fly species, it may be easier to better understand which genes are important to human survival.

Poster…

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Bioinformatics Poster

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