Genetics and Genomics Commons^™

Decoding The Equine Genome: Lessons From Encode, Sichong Peng, Jessica L. Petersen, Rebecca R. Bellone, Theodore S. Kalbfleisch, N. B. Kingsley, Alexa M. Barber, Eleonora Cappelletti, Elena Giulotto, Carrie J. Finno

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

The horse reference genome assemblies, EquCab2.0 and EquCab3.0, have enabled great advancements in the equine genomics field, from tools to novel discoveries. However, significant gaps of knowledge regarding genome function remain, hindering the study of complex traits in horses. In an effort to address these gaps and with inspiration from the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, the equine Functional Annotation of Animal Genome (FAANG) initiative was proposed to bridge the gap between genome and gene expression, providing further insights into functional regulation within the horse genome. Three years after launching the initiative, the equine FAANG group has generated data …

Whole Genome Sequencing Identified A 16 Kilobase Deletion On Eca13 Associated With Distichiasis In Friesian Horses, E. A. Hisey, H. Hermans, Z. T. Lounsberry, F. Avila, R. A. Grahn, K. E. Knickelbein, S. A. Duward-Akhurst, M. E. Mccue, Theodore S. Kalbfleisch, M. E. Lassaline, W. Back, R. R. Bellone

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Distichiasis, an ocular disorder in which aberrant cilia (eyelashes) grow from the opening of the Meibomian glands of the eyelid, has been reported in Friesian horses. These misplaced cilia can cause discomfort, chronic keratitis, and corneal ulceration, potentially impacting vision due to corneal fibrosis, or, if secondary infection occurs, may lead to loss of the eye. Friesian horses represent the vast majority of reported cases of equine distichiasis, and as the breed is known to be affected with inherited monogenic disorders, this condition was hypothesized to be a simply inherited Mendelian trait.

RESULTS: A genome wide association study (GWAS) …

Local Admixture Of Amplified And Diversified Secreted Pathogenesis Determinants Shapes Mosaic Toxoplasma Gondii Genomes, Hernan Lorenzi, Asis Khan, Michael S. Behnke, Sivaranjani Namasivayam, Lakshmipuram S. Swapna, Michalis Hadjithomas, Svetlana Karamycheva, Deborah Pinney, Brian P. Brunk, James W. Ajioka, Daniel Ajzenberg, John C. Boothroyd, Jon P. Boyle, Marie L. Dardé, Maria A. Diaz-Miranda, Jitender P. Dubey, Heather M. Fritz, Solange M. Gennari, Brian D. Gregory, Kami Kim, Jeroen P. J. Saeij, Chunlei Su, Michael W. White, Xing-Quan Zhu, Daniel K. Howe, Benjamin M. Rosenthal, Michael E. Grigg, John Parkinson, Liang Liu, Jessica C. Kissinger

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Toxoplasma gondii is among the most prevalent parasites worldwide, infecting many wild and domestic animals and causing zoonotic infections in humans. T. gondii differs substantially in its broad distribution from closely related parasites that typically have narrow, specialized host ranges. To elucidate the genetic basis for these differences, we compared the genomes of 62 globally distributed T. gondii isolates to several closely related coccidian parasites. Our findings reveal that tandem amplification and diversification of secretory pathogenesis determinants is the primary feature that distinguishes the closely related genomes of these biologically diverse parasites. We further show that the unusual population structure …