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Article
Open AccessRange-wide and temporal genomic analyses reveal the consequences of near-extinction in Swedish moose
Ungulate species have experienced severe declines over the past centuries through overharvesting and habitat loss. Even if many game species have recovered thanks to strict hunting regulation, the genome-wide ...
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Article
Open AccessSample identification and pedigree reconstruction in Wolverine (Gulo gulo) using SNP genoty** of non-invasive samples
For conservation genetic studies using non-invasively collected samples, genome-wide data may be hard to acquire. Until now, such studies have instead mostly relied on analyses of traditional genetic markers s...
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Article
Open AccessReview of the diet specialisation of the Blue-cheeked bee-eater (Merops persicus)
Ecological specialisation, e.g. in terms of prey preferences, can have important implications for population biology. Bee-eaters are considered diet specialists; they hunt aerial insects, particularly hymenopt...
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Article
Open AccessDevelopment of transcriptome genetic markers for the great snipe (Gallinago media)
We sequenced the transcriptomes of 14 great snipe (Gallinago media) males from the Gåvålia study population (central Norway) using Roche 454 technology. The assembled transcriptome sequences (RNA-Seq) was used to...
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Article
Open AccessPatterns of sequencing coverage bias revealed by ultra-deep sequencing of vertebrate mitochondria
Genome and transcriptome sequencing applications that rely on variation in sequence depth can be negatively affected if there are systematic biases in coverage. We have investigated patterns of local variation...
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Article
Open AccessWhole genome sequencing of the black grouse (Tetrao tetrix): reference guided assembly suggests faster-Z and MHC evolution
The different regions of a genome do not evolve at the same rate. For example, comparative genomic studies have suggested that the sex chromosomes and the regions harbouring the immune defence genes in the Maj...
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Article
Open AccessHigh-utility conserved avian microsatellite markers enable parentage and population studies across a wide range of species
Microsatellites are widely used for many genetic studies. In contrast to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and genoty**-by-sequencing methods, they are readily typed in samples of low DNA quality/concentr...
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Article
Open AccessSequencing of the core MHC region of black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) and comparative genomics of the galliform MHC
The MHC, which is regarded as the most polymorphic region in the genomes of jawed vertebrates, plays a central role in the immune system by encoding various proteins involved in the immune response. The chicke...
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Article
Genetic map** of the major histocompatibility complex in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata)
Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) have received much attention in immunology, genetics, and ecology because they are highly polymorphic and play important roles in parasite resistance and mat...
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Article
Balancing selection, sexual selection and geographic structure in MHC genes of Great Snipe
Signatures of balancing selection are often found when investigating the extremely polymorphic regions of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes, and it is generally accepted that selective forces mainta...
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Article
Open AccessEvolution of a cluster of innate immune genes (β-defensins) along the ancestral lines of chicken and zebra finch
Avian β-defensins (AvBDs) represent a group of innate immune genes with broad antimicrobial activity. Within the chicken genome, previous work identified 14 AvBDs in a cluster on chromosome three. The release ...
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Article
Open AccessThe genome of a songbird
The genome of the zebra finch — a songbird and a model for the study of vertebrate brain, behaviour and evolution — has been sequenced. Its comparison with the chicken genome, the only other bird genome availa...
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Article
Open AccessDigital gene expression analysis of the zebra finch genome
In order to understand patterns of adaptation and molecular evolution it is important to quantify both variation in gene expression and nucleotide sequence divergence. Gene expression profiling in non-model or...
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Article
Open AccessGene duplication and fragmentation in the zebra finch major histocompatibility complex
Due to its high polymorphism and importance for disease resistance, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has been an important focus of many vertebrate genome projects. Avian MHC organization is of parti...
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Article
Patterns of polymorphism in the MHC class II of a non-passerine bird, the great snipe (Gallinago media)
The genomic organisation of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) seems to vary considerably between different bird species. In order to understand this variation it is important to gather information fr...
