Comparative neurotranscriptomics in mammals and birds

Thesis

In this thesis I apply new sequencing technologies and analytical methods derived from genomics and computer science to the neuroanatomy of gene expression. The first project explores characteristics of gene expression across adult neocortical layers in a representative mammal – the mouse. Amongst the thousands of genes and transcripts differentially expressed across layers, I found common functional characteristics of genes that define certain layers, candidate cases of isoform switching, and over a thousand apparent long intergenic non-coding RNA transcripts. The second project compares patterns of gene expression in the structurally diverged adult derivatives of the pallium in mice and chickens. Overall, gene expression levels were moderately correlated between the two species. While expression patterns of ‘marker’ genes were only poorly conserved in these regions, there nevertheless was significant conservation of cross-species marker genes for homologous structures, cell types and functionally analogous regions. Many aspects of these data from both projects can now be easily browsed and searched from custom-built web interfaces. In addition to generating unprecedented genome-wide resources for the neuroscience community to explore the functional and structural dimensions of gene expression amongst different pallial regions in mammals and birds, this work also provides new insights into the widespread evolutionary shuffling of adult marker gene expression.

Authors: Belgard, TG

• Publication date: 2011
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: neuroanatomy; RNA-seq; transcriptome; birds; comparative neuroanatomy; sequencing; comparative neurotranscriptomics; mammals
• Subjects: Neuroscience; Physiology and anatomy; Anatomy; Neurogenetics; Bioinformatics (biochemistry); Zoological sciences; Bioinformatics (technology); Medical sciences; Evolution (zoology); Life Sciences; Bioinformatics (life sciences); Molecular genetics; Mathematical genetics and bioinformatics (statistics); Biochemistry; Biology; Biology (medical sciences); Genetics (life sciences)