A new preprint publication on bioRxiv, which resulted from a collaboration between CGEBM staff and Dr Jonathan Pettitt's research group, outlines a new way of predicting gene operons in the parasitic nematode Trichinella spiralis. Using transcriptome sequencing of worm larvae and examining the mapping locations of transcripts containing particular nucleotide sequence motifs that control gene processing in operons, it was possible to confirm the presence of known operons and to predict the extent and location of novel operons throughout the T. spiralis genome. These results point to a deep evolutionary origin of operonic gene organisation in nematodes and provide new target genes for further examination of the mechanics of operons.
For more details, see the publication here.
For more details of Dr Jonathan Pettitt's research, see his University Profile.