| Project/Area Number |
21H02541
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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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) |
2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2023)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥11,440,000 (Direct Cost: ¥8,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,640,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥2,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥600,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000)
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| Keywords | endosymbionts / insect / evolution / genomics / endosymbiont / cockroach / blattabacterium / GC-content / genome evolution / genome / gene loss / endosymbiosis / Blattabacterium / comparative genomics / Evolution |
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| Outline of Research at the Start |
Bacterial endosymbionts are endowed with the smallest genomes known for any life form (excluding viruses). While genetic drift has been proposed as the main factor driving genome reduction in endosymbionts, we recently showed that other mechanisms, especially mutation rate, appear to better explain genome reduction. We will carry out comparative genomic analyses using the genomes of a large number of Blattabacterium strains with the aim of determining what are the factors responsible of genome reduction in bacterial endosymbionts.
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
We sequenced 448 Blattabacterium genomes, including over 300 assembled in a single contig. Other genomes were fragmented and assembled in multiple contigs. We analyzed these genomes to study the evolution of Blattabacterium, a bacterial endosymbiont of cockroaches. We reconstructed the history of gene loss in Blattabacterium and attempted to identify the mechanisms responsible for gene loss. We identified enhanced mutation rate as the primary mechanism responsible for gene loss. Our work yielded two papers published in Molecular Biology and Evolution (IF: 10.7) and Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (IF: 4.3).
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
My project improved our understanding of genome reduction in bacterial endosymbionts. It led to two publications in scientific journals, including one publication in MBE, a recognized journal in the field. My project was scientifically relevant and improved our understanding of endosymbionts.
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