IBMB Seminar, Friday, March 17th 10:00 AM | DR. TOMÀS MARQUÈS

Abstract

The study of genomic variants among humans and non-human primates is the foundation for a better understanding of the molecular bases of the intrinsic biology of these species. However, there are still notorious gaps in the variants, regulation and genomic regions studied. In this talk, I will present the use of whole genome sequence in primates to better understand our evolution and for a better annotation of the human genome. We have sequenced hundreds of primate genomes at high coverage which is the foundation of the most complete study of comparative genomics in human and primates. I will then expose the use of this dataset in conservation genomics, comparative genomics and its application to human diseases.  Also, I will introduce the molecular characterization of a panel of great ape cell lines using both short reads and long reads technologies as a model to study the evolution of epigenomic, gene regulation and isoform repertoire. In this work, we detect that around half of the captured isoforms are not annotated in their reference genomes, significantly expanding the gene models in primates.

Biosketch

Dr. Marques-Bonet is the Principal Investigator of the group “Comparative Genomics” at the University Pompeu Fabra and Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF and CSIC) with a dual appointment at CRG/CNAG.  He is part of LABEX CeMEB Scientific Council – Montpellier, France as well as the Vertebrate Genome Project (VGP/G10K) and member of the EBP (Earth Biogenome project) and he was the director of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (2016-2020). His work is focused on characterizing genome diversity in primates and other species, defining human specific genomics features and the evolution of epigenetics and gene regulation in humans. He has been funded by the ERC (Starting Grant and Consolidator Grant).

Felix Serratosa room. Please, members of IBMB, check your mailbox.