4193270 - Gene annotation of D. willistoni’s contig 19 based on comparative genomics with D. melanogaster | Poster Board #318

Gene annotation plays a major role in this project which is focused on producing annotations of coding regions and transcription sites in D. willistoni. The annotation process entails sequencing portions of a specific genome which are later arranged into genome assemblies in search of the meaning of the annotated elements. The Genomics Education Partnerships (GEP) promotes gene annotation and sequence improvement in search of answers, for the overall goal is to reach a consensus sequence which can later be formatted onto larger scale models which may address questions of evolution. With the utilization of genomic techniques and specialized programs such as GEP UCSC Genome Browser, FlyBase and BLAST, the annotation of three genes in contig 19 of D.willistoni was produced based on known information of D. melanogaster’s genomic composition. By doing so, the genomic annotation of D. willistoni that was produced can be used to contribute to a consensus sequence, and overall genome assembly, in order to be further analyzed, allowing for a deeper understanding of the species’ genomic significance in biological terms.