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Department of Statistics, The Ohio State University
Statistics and Biostatistics Colloquium Series
The SERA gene family in Plasmodium: Multiple criteria for assessing and improving inferred gene trees.
Prof. Terry Speed
Department of Statistics, Berkeley, CA
and
Division Head
Division of Genetics and Bioinformatics
The Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Australia
3:30PM - Thursday, October 14, 2004
Room 170, Eighteenth Avenue Bldg. (EA 170)
ABSTRACT
Plasmodium falciparum is the parasite responsible for the most acute form of malaria in humans. Recently, the serine repeat antigen (SERA) in P. Falciparum has attracted attention as a potential vaccine target. In this talk, we will examine attempts to infer the evolutionary history of a family of SERA genes in 7 different species of Plasmodium, and two particular problems that the gene family presents for inference: significant variation in GC content between species, and the need to reconcile any inferred gene tree with one of two conflicting Plasmodium species trees that have appeared in the literature.
Meet the speaker in Room 212 Cockins Hall at 4:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
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