abstract for talk at the Joint CMU-Pitt Ph.D. Program in Computational Biology on March 21, 2008 [I:CMU]

Hi,

Here's an abstract.

cheers, marK

###
### Mark Gerstein, PhD
### Albert Williams Professor of
### Biomedical Informatics,
### Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry,
### Computer Science
### Yale University
###

http://bioinfo.mbb.yale.edu
###
### Mailing Address: MB&B, PO Box 208114
### New Haven, CT 06520-8114 USA
### For deliveries/fedex: Bass 432A, 266 Whitney Ave.
### Phone 203 432-6105, e-mail Mark.Gerstein@Yale.edu
### Main Fax 360 838-7861 [Dept. Fax 203 432-5175]
###

Title: Human Genome Annotation

A central problem for 21st century science will be the analysis and
understanding of the human genome. My talk will be concerned with
topics within this area, in particular annotating pseudogenes (protein
fossils) in the genome. I will discuss a comprehensive pseudogene
identification pipeline and storage database we have built. This has
enabled use to identify >10K pseudogenes in the human and mouse
genomes and analyze their distribution with respect to age, protein
family, and chromosomal location. One interesting finding is the large
number of ribosomal pseudogenes in the human genome, with 80
functional ribosomal proteins giving rise to ~2,000 ribosomal protein
pseudogenes.

I will try to inter-relate our studies on pseudogenes with those on
tiling arrays, which enable one to comprehensively probe the activity
of intergenic regions. At the end I will bring these together, trying
to assess the transcriptional activity of pseudogenes.

Throughout I will try to introduce some of the computational
algorithms and approaches that are required for genome annotation and
tiling arrays -- i.e. the construction of annotation pipelines,
developing algorithms for optimal tiling, and refining approaches for
scoring microarrays.

http://bioinfo.mbb.yale.edu
http://pseudogene.org
http://tiling.gersteinlab.org

Millions of years of evolution preserved: a comprehensive catalog of
the processed pseudogenes in the human genome.
Z Zhang, PM Harrison, Y Liu, M Gerstein (2003) Genome Res 13: 2541-58.

The ambiguous boundary between genes and pseudogenes: the dead rise up, or do they?
D Zheng, MB Gerstein (2007) Trends Genet 23: 219-24.

Pseudogene.org: a comprehensive database and comparison platform for pseudogene
annotation.
JE Karro, Y Yan, D Zheng, Z Zhang, N Carriero, P Cayting, P Harrrison, M
Gerstein (2007) Nucleic Acids Res 35: D55-60.

A computational approach for identifying pseudogenes in the ENCODE regions.
D Zheng, MB Gerstein (2006) Genome Biol 7 Suppl 1: S13.1-10.

The real life of pseudogenes.
M Gerstein, D Zheng (2006) Sci Am 295: 48-55.

PseudoPipe: an automated pseudogene identification pipeline.
Z Zhang, N Carriero, D Zheng, J Karro, PM Harrison, M Gerstein (2006)
Bioinformatics 22: 1437-9.

Toward a universal microarray: prediction of gene expression through
nearest-neighbor probe sequence identification.
TE Royce, JS Rozowsky, MB Gerstein (2007) Nucleic Acids Res 35: e99.

Pseudogenes in the ENCODE regions: consensus annotation, analysis of
transcription, and evolution.
D Zheng, A Frankish, R Baertsch, P Kapranov, A Reymond, SW Choo, Y Lu, F
Denoeud, SE Antonarakis, M Snyder, Y Ruan, CL Wei, TR Gingeras, R Guigo, J
Harrow, MB Gerstein (2007) Genome Res 17: 839-51.

Statistical analysis of the genomic distribution and correlation of regulatory
elements in the ENCODE regions.
ZD Zhang, A Paccanaro, Y Fu, S Weissman, Z Weng, J Chang, M Snyder, MB Gerstein
(2007) Genome Res 17: 787-97.

The DART classification of unannotated transcription within the ENCODE regions:
associating transcription with known and novel loci.
JS Rozowsky, D Newburger, F Sayward, J Wu, G Jordan, JO Korbel, U Nagalakshmi, J
Yang, D Zheng, R Guigo, TR Gingeras, S Weissman, P Miller, M Snyder, MB Gerstein
(2007) Genome Res 17: 732-45.

What is a gene, post-ENCODE? History and updated definition.
MB Gerstein, C Bruce, JS Rozowsky, D Zheng, J Du, JO Korbel, O Emanuelsson, ZD
Zhang, S Weissman, M Snyder (2007) Genome Res 17: 669-81.

Systematic prediction and validation of breakpoints associated with copy-number
variants in the human genome.
JO Korbel, AE Urban, F Grubert, J Du, TE Royce, P Starr, G Zhong, BS Emanuel, SM
Weissman, M Snyder, MB Gerstein (2007) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104: 10110-5.