(Internal) Junk DNA, selfish DNA, and genome size

Advisor: Ryan Gregory, Integrative Biology

Proposed computational advisor: Stefan Kremer

The amount of DNA in the genomes of animal species ranges more than 7,000-fold. This enormous variability has little to do with differences in the number of protein-coding genes or organismal complexity -- though it does correlate with cell size, cell division rate, metabolic rate, developmental rate, and various other traits. 

Most variability in DNA content is due to the presence of differing quantities of non-coding DNA, especially transposable elements (often described as selfish DNA or parasites of the genome). Whereas the human genome contains ~20,000 protein-coding genes, our chromosomes are also home to more than one million copies of the Alu transposable element and 500,000 copies of the LINE-1 element.

This project will make use of available genome sequences to explore questions about the evolution, diversity, and abundance transposable elements and their impact on genome size across a wide range of species.

This can be a one-semester or two-semester project. More than one student can work on a project involving this topic.

Knowledge/Skills

Bioinformatics tools for analysis of genome sequences, problem solving, openness to exploring complex topics