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Title: THE PHYLOGENY AND GENOME OF TRICHINELLA SPECIES

Author
item Zarlenga, Dante
item MAKEDONKA, MITREVA - WASH UNIV SCHOOL OF MED
item Rosenthal, Benjamin
item Hoberg, Eric

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/21/2007
Publication Date: 9/25/2007
Citation: Zarlenga, D.S., Makedonka, M., Rosenthal, B.M., Hoberg, E.P. 2007. The phylogeny and genome of trichinella species. Meeting Abstract.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In 2004, funding was received by Washington University’s Genome Sequencing Center through NHGRI, to completely sequence several nematode genomes as part of a holistic effort to advance our understanding of the human genome. Trichinella spiralis was among this group because of its strategic location at the base of the Nematoda phylum, and the belief that extant species represented a divergent event that occurred as early as the Paleozoic. At the same time, a concerted effort was put forth to solidify the phylogeny of extant species of Trichinella based upon molecular analyses of a multi-gene system in order to form a framework for understanding the history of the genus and thereby enhance utilization of the forthcoming sequence data. Since the inception of this research, several findings have surfaced; 1) contrary to conventional belief, extant species of Trichinella probably diverged as little as 20 million years ago; 2) the genome size of T. spiralis (71.3 Mb) is substantially smaller than originally predicted (270 Mb); 3) the 3.5 million sequence reads assembled into a 59.3 Mb unique sequence, of which 19% comprise repetitive elements and; 4) expansion of the EST and genome sequence database confirmed that T. spiralis shares a similar proportion (45%) of its ESTs with the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (Rhabditina) as it does with the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster (Arthropoda: Drosophilidae). Updated information on the sequencing effort will be presented.