Long dismissed as “junk,” viral fragments buried in human DNA may help regulate our genes, according to a new international study co-led by Guillaume Bourque, professor in McGill’s Department of Human Genetics, D2R-funded researcher and member of the D2R Research Steering Committee and Executive (RSC). The findings offer new insights into what makes us human, 25 years after the human genome was first mapped.
Fragments of ancient viral DNA once dismissed as “junk” may play a role in controlling our genes, according to a new international study.
Using a novel method to trace the evolutionary history of viral DNA, researchers from McGill University and Kyoto University uncovered sequences that had been overlooked in earlier genome annotations.
The first human genome, which has served as the reference until now, was released approximately 20 years ago. It was a landmark accomplishment that had a huge impact on biomedical research and changed the way scientists study human biology. But it was based on just a few individuals and did not capture the full genetic diversity of the human population.
Genome Canada launched the Canadian VirusSeq Data Portal today to track the evolving COVID-19 pandemic across Canada. McGill University researcher Guillaume Bourque, a professor in the Department of Human Genetics, along with his research team, led the development of the portal. They worked in collaboration with CanCOGeN VirusSeq and world-leading genomics scientists, including Drs.
The Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) and the McGill Genome Centre today announced they will partner to sequence the viral genomes of Quebec patients with COVID-19 disease. The collaboration, termed “Coronavirus Sequencing in Quebec,” (CoVSeQ) is led by Profs Sandrine Moreira, Hugues Charest and Michel Roger at the Laboratoire de santé publique du Québec (LSPQ) of the INSPQ. The viral samples are taken from a Quebec viral biobank, termed the CoVBanQ, which is hosted in LSPQ.
EpiShare will join the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) as a 2019 Driver Project. GA4GH, an international group of 22 leading genomic data initiatives, works collaboratively to develop and pilot standards for sharing genomic and health-related data.
“EpiShare represents a unique opportunity to contribute to the field of epigenomics by extending global standards and tools, which have so far been developed only for genetic and genomic information.” --Guillaume Bourque, Project Champion and Associate Professor of Human Genetics at McGill University.
The McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation Centre and the Canadian Centre for Computational Genomics will receive a total of $9.8 million in funding over three years through Genome Canada awards announced Feb. 21.
One of the great mysteries in biology is how the many different cell types that make up our bodies are derived from a single cell and from one DNA sequence, or genome. We have learned a lot from studying the human genome, but have only partially unveiled the processes underlying cell determination. The identity of each cell type is largely defined by an instructive layer of molecular annotations on top of the genome – the epigenome – which acts as a blueprint unique to each cell type and developmental stage.
The McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation Centre will receive generous support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Génome Québec to continue its trailblazing research in the field of epigenetics. The support announced today by the funding partners will go toward examining how environmental factors can alter the expression of our DNA and have life-long effects on human health.
