WP6 - Comparative analyses (UEDIN)
The overarching objective of WP6 is to exploit comparative approaches to enhance the quality, description and impact of functional annotation maps generated during the AQUA-FAANG project, beyond what is possible by analysis of single species. A comparative perspective across the six selected species will generate unique insights that are essential to fully appreciate the significance of documented functional genomic variation (defined here as variation in protein-coding and non-coding RNA expression, promoter/enhancer activity and chromatin accessibility), by identifying conserved and lineage-specific features associated with phenotypes targeted by the project. The outputs will provide transferable findings to fish species outside the project and create a start point for understanding functional-regulatory evolution in fishes, including the role played by fish-specific whole genome duplication (WGD) events in shaping functional variation. 
  • Objective 6.1.
  • Objective 6.2.
  • Objective 6.3.
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Establish genome-wide homology relationships within and between AQUA-FAANG genomes.
Establish a framework for genome-wide comparative analysis of functional and regulatory elements.
Achieve a comparative understanding of functional genomic variation linked to phenotypes targeted by the AQUA-FAANG project.
Links with other WPs
WP6 interacts with WP2 by exploiting Ensembl tools for homology prediction and genomewide alignment. WP6 feeds into WP2, as defined evolutionary characteristics of functional genomic variation will be incorporated into sequence ontologies in public databases. WP6 supports WP4 and WP5 by improving our ability to prioritize functional variants in candidate QTL/GWAS regions.