Mus castaneus genome sequencing. Mus castaneus genome sequencing

In this project we will sequence the genomes of several wild-derived mice of M. castaneus origin to study the population genomics of these mice. With the exception of humans, the biology of the house mouse is better studied than any other mammal, and mouse models have proved invaluable for understanding the basis of human Mendelian disease. The analysis of genetic variation within and between species has the potential to uncover the basis of complex diseases, but this may be hindered by the small historical population size (Ne) of humans. Because the effectiveness of selection is proportional to Ne, subtle deleterious effects of mutations may be difficult to quantify in humans. We therefore plan to sequence wild mice of M. castaneus origin which have a significantly higher Ne. We initially plan mapped to reference and then de novo assembly of each mouse.