Advanced Genetic Technologies

The overall program goal is to develop expertise and experience in genome sequencing based on next-generation sequencing technology, and to utilize and enhance tools for bioinformatic analysis, particularly for inter-species comparisons of genomes. The University of Kentucky Advanced Genetic Technologies Center (UK-AGTC) is establishing a track record in sequencing whole genomes ofsymbiotic and pathogenic eukaryotes. The major bottleneck now is computational; namely, collation, annotation and analysis ofgenome data, and presenting those data and results to the researcher and the wider community of life scientists. Specific objectives of this project are: 1) sequence 14 complete fungal genomes for comparative genomics, 2) establish an annotation pipeline for the genome sequences, and 3) establish a pipeline for comparative genomics and phylogenomic analysis. The expected outcome will be greatly enhanced bioinformatic expertise and capabilities to allow researchers in the state to manage and compare multiple genomic sequences, identify orthologous gene sets among species, conduct molecular phylogenomic analysis, and collate and publish results in database platforms that are widely accepted, versatile, and generally accessible to the scientific community.