Phylogenomic analysis reveals extensive phylogenetic mosaicism in the Human GPCR Superfamily

A novel high throughput phylogenomic analysis (HTP) was applied to the rhodopsin G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) family. Instances of phylogenetic mosaicism between receptors were found to be frequent, often as instances of correlated mosaicism and repeated mosaicism. A null data set was constructed with the same phylogenetic topology as the rhodopsin GPCRs. Comparison of the two data sets revealed that mosaicism was found in GPCRs in a higher frequency than would be expected by homoplasy or the effects of topology alone. Various evolutionary models of differential conservation, recombination and homoplasy are explored which could result in the patterns observed in this analysis. We find that the results are most consistent with frequent recombination events. A complex evolutionary history is illustrated in which it is likely frequent recombination has endowed GPCRs with new functions. The pattern of mosaicism is shown to be informative for functional prediction for orphan receptors. HTP analysis is complementary to conventional phylogenomic analyses revealing mosaicism that would not otherwise have been detectable through conventional phylogenetics

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Phylogenomic Analysis Reveals Extensive Phylogenetic Mosaicism in the Human GPCR Superfamily

A novel high throughput phylogenomic analysis (HTP) was applied to the rhodopsin G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) family. Instances of phylogenetic mosaicism between receptors were found to be frequent, often as instances of correlated mosaicism and repeated mosaicism. A null data set was constructed with the same phylogenetic topology as the rhodopsin GPCRs. Comparison of the two data sets revealed that mosaicism was found in GPCRs in a higher frequency than would be expected by homoplasy or the effects of topology alone. Various evolutionary models of differential conservation, recombination and homoplasy are explored which could result in the patterns observed in this analysis. We find that the results are most consistent with frequent recombination events. A complex evolutionary history is illustrated in which it is likely frequent recombination has endowed GPCRs with new functions. The pattern of mosaicism is shown to be informative for functional prediction for orphan receptors. HTP analysis is complementary to conventional phylogenomic analyses revealing mosaicism that would not otherwise have been detectable through conventional phylogenetics

A short history of evolutionary theory Uma breve história da teoria evolutiva

The history of the Theory of Evolution has been told a number of times by historians, philosophers, professors, writers, scientists and so on. However, many of these versions differ from or even contradict one another. In this article, the history of the Theory of Evolution is retold according to a dialectical-materialistic perspective. It analyzes the historical contradictions between Darwinian evolution theory and Mendel's model, the background that led to the synthetic theory of evolution, the debate carried out by classic schools and the result of synthesis, as well as the still current debate between Neutralism and Selectionism. Finally, it also discusses the interpretative model used ("an idiosyncratic dialectic materialism"), mainly in relation with Popper's and Kuhn's models.<br>A história da teoria evolutiva tem sito contada inúmeras vezes por historiadores, filósofos, professores, escritores, cientistas etc. Contudo, muitas destas versões diferem entre si ou mesmo se contradizem. Neste trabalho, a história da teoria evolutiva é recontada a partir de uma perspectiva materialista dialética. São analisadas as contradições históricas entre a teoria evolutiva darwiniana e o modelo mendeliano, o caminho para a teoria sintética da evolução, o debate entre as escolas clássica e do balanco que sucedeu a síntese, bem como o debate, ainda atual, entre neutralismo e selecionismo. Ao final, o modelo interpretativo utilizado ("um materialismo dialético idiossincrático") é discutido, principalmente, em relação aos modelos popperiano e kuhniano