When scientists want to trace how a species has changed over time — and predict its prospects for survival — they turn to DNA.
When scientists want to trace how a species has changed over time — and predict its prospects for survival — they turn to DNA. But what if the genetic map guiding them belongs to the wrong animal?
A new study led by researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences shows that using the wrong “reference genome” — the master sequence scientists rely on to compare DNA — can significantly distort the picture. For the gray fox, one of North America’s most common wild canids, mapping against a dog or Arctic fox genome, instead of its own, made populations look smaller, less diverse and even in decline when they were actually stable or growing.
“It turns out the reference you use really changes the story you tell about a species,” said Jazlyn Mooney, Gabilan Assistant Professor of Quantitative and Computational Biology at USC Dornsife and corresponding author of the study published in Cell. “If you use the wrong reference, you can end up with misleading answers about a species’ history or health, and even its chances of long-term survival.”
Read More at: University of Southern California
