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Extreme Copy Number Variation

Some tree genes come in many copies, and the number can vary enormously between individuals. We study how this extreme variation arises and what it means for defence.

People: T. H. (Henry) Hung
Themes: genome structure
plant defence
conifers

Genomes are not fixed lists of single genes. Some genes are present in several copies, and the number of copies can differ widely from one tree to the next.

Using long-insert sequence capture, we found high copy numbers of a defence-related beta-glucosidase gene, βglu-1, with large variation between white spruce trees, but not in Norway spruce. We now want to understand how such extreme copy number variation arises, and how it shapes the way trees defend themselves.

Related publications

Long-insert sequence capture detects high copy numbers in a defence-related beta-glucosidase gene βglu-1 with large variations in white spruce but not Norway spruce

Hung, T. H.^{* corresponding author}, Wu, E. T. Y., Zeltiņš, P., Jansons, Ā., Ullah, A., Erbilgin, N., Bohlmann, J., Bousquet, J., Birol, I., Clegg, S. M. & MacKay, J. J.^{* corresponding author}

BMC Genomics, 25, 118.

Copy number variation in defence against spruce budworm

MacKay, J. J., Parent, G., Hung, T. H., Wu, E. T. Y. & Giguère, I.

7th IUFRO International Workshop on the Genetics of Tree-Parasite Interactions in Forestry. Pontevedra, Spain. Sep 12–17, 2022.