About Structural & Comparative Genomics

Spurred by a huge influx of whole genome sequencing data, the scientific community has witnessed a genomics revolution in recent years. The field of comparative genomics was born, which seeks to compare genomes to answer questions about how organisms are alike and how they differ. The more conserved two or more genomes are in terms of e.g. DNA sequence, non-coding elements, protein-coding genes, the more recent the common ancestor.

Most comparative genomics studies are based on sequence homology, however, comparing 3D protein structures between organisms is the next logical step, as sequence homology breaks down over large evolutionary distances. Structural genomics, a sub-field of comparative genomics, seeks to identify and compare all the 3D structures of the proteins in a genome. Coming off the heels of the success of protein inference algorithms such as AlphaFold, more protein structures are available than ever.

This collection invites articles, posters, etc in the field of comparative genomics including method papers and biological applications which are related to homology, synteny, gene duplication, polyploid, phylogeny, across the Tree of Life. We especially invite material related to comparing 3D structures on a genome-wide basis. We welcome forward-looking bioinformatics approaches to comparing genomes, including machine learning.

Keywords: comparative genomics; structure; homology; folds; 3d structure; phylogenetics; duplication

This collection is part of the Cell & Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics and Genomics and Genetics Gateways.

Any questions about this collection? Please get in contact directly with research@f1000.com.