Project Description
Neuropeptides, such as oxytocin and insulin, play essential roles in regulating physiology and behavior across the animal kingdom. However, these signaling molecules often evolve rapidly, making it difficult to trace their evolutionary origins and to compare them reliably across model organisms.
This project explores how macrosynteny—the conserved order of genes on chromosomes over deep evolutionary time—can help overcome this challenge. While gene sequences can evolve quickly, their chromosomal neighborhoods often remain remarkably stable across hundreds of millions of years. Genes that originated in the same ancestral group tend to remain on the same chromosome, even in species as distantly related as jellyfish and humans.
By mapping neuropeptide genes within their macrosyntenic context, this project aims to reconstruct their evolutionary trajectories and investigate patterns of co-evolution across animal lineages.
What you will do
- Analyze high-quality genome assemblies from a range of animal species
- Identify conserved syntenic blocks using bioinformatics tools
- Compare gene families associated with neuropeptides and their receptors
- Explore how macrosynteny can aid in gene identification across divergent taxa
Who should apply
This project is ideal for Master's students interested in molecular evolution, comparative genomics, or neurobiology. Prior experience with bioinformatics or genomics is helpful but not required; training will be provided.
For more information, contact e.a.b.undheim@ibv.uio.no