Biology subjects

Royrvik, E. C.

Publications and source records attributed to Royrvik, E. C..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Rare Copy Number Variant analysis in case-control studies using SNP Array Data: a scalable and automated data analysis pipeline

BackgroundRare copy number variants (CNVs) significantly influence the human genome and may contribute to disease susceptibility. High-throughput SNP genotyping platforms provide data that can be used for CNV detection, but it requires the complex pipelining of bioinformatic tools. Here, we propose a flexible bioinformatic pipeline for rare CNV analysis from human SNP array data. ResultsThe pipeline performs two major tasks: (1) CNV detection and quality control, and (2) rare CNV analysis. It is implemented in Snakemake following a rule-based structure that enables automation and scalability while maintaining flexibility. ConclusionsOur pipeline automates the detection and analysis of rare CNVs. It implements a rigorous CNV quality control, assesses the frequencies of these rare CNVs in patients versus controls, and evaluates the impact of CNVs on specific genes or pathways. We hence aim to provide an efficient yet flexible bioinformatic framework to investigate rare CNVs in biomedical research.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2021

Universal features shaping organelle gene retention

Mitochondria and plastids power complex life, and retain their own organelle DNA (oDNA) genomes, with highly reduced gene contents compared to their endosymbiont ancestors. Why some protein-coding genes are retained in oDNA and some lost remains a debated question. Here we harness over 15k oDNA sequences and over 300 whole genome sequences with tools from structural biology, bioinformatics, machine learning, and Bayesian model selection to reveal the properties of genes, and associated underlying mechanisms, that shape oDNA evolution. Striking symmetry exists between the two organelle types: gene retention patterns in both are predicted by the hydrophobicity of a protein product and its energetic centrality within its protein complex, with additional influences of nucleic acid and amino acid biochemistry. Remarkably, retention principles from one organelle type successfully and quantitatively predict retention in the other, supporting this universality; these principles also distinguish gene profiles in independent endosymbiotic relationships. The identification of these features shaping organelle gene retention both provides quantitative support for several existing evolutionary hypotheses, and suggests new biochemical and biophysical mechanisms influencing organelle genome evolution.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Genetic patterning in Central Eurasia: population history and pigmentation

Central-western Asia has often been underrepresented in population genetic studies, but it is important for the clarification of the peopling of Eurasia and the relationship between its western and eastern extremities. We genotyped individuals from over 40 population groups, mostly central Eurasian, for mitochondrial HVR1, CCR5del32 and five functional MC1R variants (p.Val60Leu, p.Val92Met, p.Arg151Cys, p.Arg160Trp, p.Arg163Gln), and collected published genotype data for comparison. Mitochondrial profiles confirm both the higher heterozygosity in Central Asia than in surrounding areas, and the broadly northern European distribution of CCR5del32. The MC1R variants profile alone is a good determinant of the longitudinal position of a population group, and combined FST values divide Eurasia into seven broad geographic divisions. We can conclude that Central Asia shares genetic features with both eastern and western Eurasia, compatible with both a scenario where the former acted as a source for the latter twos genetic diversity, or one where Central Asia is a hybrid zone where eastern and western peoples met. Furthermore, the overall high FST values for functional MC1R variants combined with presumed selection pressures on skin pigmentation in low-UV areas lead us to conclude that different variants were selected for in east and west Eurasia, an example of convergent evolution.

genetics↗