| Project/Area Number |
18K14767
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 45020:Evolutionary biology-related
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| Research Institution | Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University |
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Principal Investigator |
Bourguignon Thomas 沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 進化ゲノミクスユニット, 准教授 (40817558)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2018-04-01 – 2020-03-31
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2019)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,770,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥870,000)
Fiscal Year 2019: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000)
Fiscal Year 2018: ¥3,120,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥720,000)
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| Keywords | cockroach / Blattabacterium / symbiosis / endosymbiont / blattabacterium / genome evolution / Endosymbionts / genome reduction / genome |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
I sequenced, assembled and annotated >50 Blattabacterium genomes that I used to identify the factors at the origin of genome erosion in endosymbionts. I found that the main factor linked to genome reduction in Blattabacterium was mutation rate. Other factors driving gene loss include relaxed selection, and the domino effect caused by the loss of metabolically related genes. However, genetic drift resulting from population bottlenecks showed no correlation with gene loss, suggesting that the Muller’s Ratchet plays no significant role in Blattabacterium genome erosion. This project therefore improved our understanding of the evolution of small genomes in insect endosymbionts.
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
We already published one paper in Genome Biology and Evolution (IF: 3.73). For another paper, we resubmitted a revised version that addressed the comments of the reviewers and is now under reevaluation for publication in Current Biology (IF: 9.19). I expect one last paper to be submitted this year.
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