Bioinformatics, Phylogeny and Evolutionary Genomics Group

Members

Our group focuses on two main axes: phylogenomics (i.e. the inference of evolutionary history based on genomics data) and evolutionary genomics (understanding the molecular and population processes that drive genome evolution). We see genomes both as a subject of research (how do genomes evolve, why are they structured the way they are?), but also as a main source of empirical knowledge about the macroevolutionary patterns (what do they tell us about the history of life on Earth?), or about the phenotypes and life-history strategies of organisms. Our works heavily rely on methodological developments (bioinformatics, modeling and statistical inference).

Evolution of genome architecture and expression

Genomes are the result of a long-term evolutionary process, shaped by multiple evolutionary forces. Some genomic features are adaptive (i.e. are beneficial for the fitness of organisms), others result from non-adaptive processes (random drift and biased gene conversion - BGC) or are caused by conflicts between multiple levels of selection (e.g. meiotic drive or the spread of selfish genetic elements). We explore different aspects of genome architecture (base composition landscapes, genome structure and size, impact of transposable elements, …) or functioning (gene expression, lncRNAs, epigenetic landscapes, …), and try to disentangle the relative contribution of adaptive and non-adaptive processes to their evolution. For this purpose, we consider both the molecular mechanisms (mutation, repair, recombination) and the population processes (selection, drift, BGC, …) that shape genetic variation.

Phylogenomics

We are interested in reconstructing the history of life on Earth. This research unfolds along several axes. First, we develop phylogenomic databases of aligned genetic sequences (e.g. BIBI, RiboDB or HOGENOM). Second, we conduct methodological research on how to accurately reconstruct deep phylogenies, infer divergence times, reconstruct ancestral genetic sequences, gene repertoires and life-history traits. This methodological work is translated into publicly available software programs (e.g. SeaView, PhyloBayes, Coevol). Finally, we apply these approaches to several important problems, among which: reconstructing the phylogeny of animals, of archaea, or the global tree of life; using phylogenies and ancestral gene repertoires to investigate the evolution of complex systems and the emergence of molecular and cellular functions in the three domains of life; reconstructing ancestral genetic sequences, a research activity that has industrial and biotechnological applications.

Teaching and outreach

We teach at University Lyon 1 (Master Bioinfo@Lyon), INSA, ENS Lyon, we organize bioinformatics internships. We regularly give conferences on evolution (tree of life, human evolution, genetic diversity, …).
Prospective students and postdocs are invited to apply, as we often welcome visitors for internships or research projects.
 
Keywords: Molecular evolution and Population Genomics; Phylogenomics; Computational Genomics; Comparative genomics; Bioinformatics; Statistical inference.

Publications

Display of 631 to 660 publications on 1006 in total

Early archives of genetically-restricted proviral DNA in the female genital tract after heterosexual transmission of HIV-1

N. Chomont, H. Hocini, G. Gresenguet, Céline Brochier-Armanet, H. Bouhlal, L. Andreoletti...

AIDS. Official journal of the international AIDS Society . 21 : 153--162

Journal article

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Phylogenomics of the archaeal flagellum: rare horizontal gene transfer in a unique motility structure

Elie Desmond-Le Quéméner, Céline Brochier-Armanet, Simonetta Gribaldo

BMC Evolutionary Biology . 7 : 53-70

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-7-106

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Identification and molecular characterization of new STLV-1 and STLV-3 strains in wild-caught nonhuman primates in Cameroon

Florian Liegeois, Bénédicte Lafay, William M. Switzer, Sabrina Locatelli, Eitel Mpoudi-Ngolé, Severin Loul...

Virology . 371 ( 2 ) : 405-417

DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2007.09.037

Journal article

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Evaluation of the models handling heterotachy in phylogenetic inference

Yan Zhou, Nicolas Rodrigue, Nicolas Lartillot, Herve Philippe

BMC Evolutionary Biology . 7 : 206-219

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-7-206

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Suppression of Long-Branch Attraction Artefacts in the Animal Phylogeny Using a Site-Heterogeneous Model

Nicolas Lartillot, Henner Brinkmann, Herve Philippe

BMC Evolutionary Biology . 7 ( Suppl 1 ) : S4

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-7-S1-S4

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A New Method for Assessing the Effect of Replication on DNA Base Composition Asymmetry

A. Necşulea, J.R. Lobry

incollection . 7 : 379-381

Journal article

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Maintenance in the chicken genome of the retroviral-like cENS gene family specifically expressed in early embryos

Emmanuelle Lerat, Anne-Marie Birot, Jacques Samarut, Anne Mey

Journal of Molecular Evolution . 65 ( 3 ) : 215-227

DOI: 10.1007/s00239-007-9001-4

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Predictions for whole genome 2D display according to size and sequence composition

Bénédicte Lafay, Jean-François Mercier, Christine Kingsburry, Gary W. Slater

3rd SCOPE meeting on Microbial Environmental Genomics (MicroEnGenIII ) .

Conference paper

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Genetic diversity and phylogeographic clustering of SIVcpzPtt in wild chimpanzees in Cameroon.

Fran van Heuverswyn, Yingying Li, Elizabeth Bailes, Cecile Neel, Bénédicte Lafay, Brandon F Keele...

Virology . 368 ( 1 ) : 155-71

DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2007.06.018

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Prevalence and genetic diversity of simian immunodeficiency virus infection in wild red colobus Monkeys (Piliocolobus badius badius) from the Taï Forest, Côte d'Ivoire

Sabrina Locatelli, Florian Liegeois, Bénédicte Lafay, Amy D Roeder, M. W. Bruford, Pierre Formenty...

2nd Congress of the European Federation of Primatology .

Conference paper

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Molecular characterization of a simian immunodeficiency virus lineage (SIVwrc) from western red colobus (Piliocolobus badius badius)

Florian Liegeois, Sabrina Locatelli, Bénédicte Lafay, Pierre Formenty, Valérie Courgnaud, Eric Delaporte...

14th International Workshop of HIV Dynamics & Evolution .

Conference paper

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Simian immunodeficiency virus infection in wildliving red colobus monkey (Piliocolobus badius badius) from the Taï forest, Côte D'Ivoire

Sabrina Locatelli, Florian Liegeois, Bénédicte Lafay, A.D. Roeder, M. W. Bruford, R. Noë...

14th International Workshop of HIV Dynamics & Evolution .

Conference paper

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Molecular diversity of legume root-nodule bacteria in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia.

Bénédicte Lafay, Jeremy J Burdon

PLoS ONE . 2 ( 3 ) : e277

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000277

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Identification and characterization of human Mex-3 proteins, a novel family of evolutionarily conserved RNA-binding proteins differentially localized to processing bodies.

Karine Buchet-Poyau, Julien Courchet, Hervé Le Hir, Bertrand Séraphin, Jean-Yves Scoazec, L. Duret...

Nucleic Acids Research . 35 ( 4 ) : 1289-300

DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkm016

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Investigating the effects of prehistoric migrations in Siberia: genetic variation and the origins of Yakuts

Brigitte Pakendorf, Innokentij Novgorodov, Vladimir Osakovskij, Al’bina Danilova, Artur Protod’jakonov, Mark Stoneking

Human Genetics . 120 ( 3 ) : 334-353

DOI: 10.1007/s00439-006-0213-2

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Melanesian and Asian origins of Polynesians: mtDNA and Y chromosome gradients across the Pacific

M. Kayser, S. Brauer, R. Cordaux, A. Casto, O. Lao, L.A. Zhivotovsky...

Molecular Biology and Evolution . 23 : 2234-2244

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Global trends of whole genome duplications revealed by the genome sequence of the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia

Jean-Marc Aury, Olivier Jaillon, * Laurent Duret, Benjamin Noel, Claire Jubin, Betina M. Porcel...

Nature . 444 ( 7116 ) : 171-178

DOI: 10.1038/nature05230

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GC Content Evolution of the Human and Mouse Genomes : Insights from the Study of Processed Pseudogenes in Regions of Different Recombination Rates.

A. Khelifi, J. Meunier, L. Duret, Dominique Mouchiroud

Journal of Molecular Evolution . 62 : 745-752

Journal article

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Insights into social insects from the genome of the honeybee Apis mellifera

G.M. Weinstock, G.E. Robinson, R.A. Gibbs, K.C. Worley, J.D. Evans, R. Maleszka...

Nature . 443 : 931-949

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Origin and molecular evolution of receptor tyrosine kinases with immunoglobulin-like domains.

Julien Grassot, Manolo Gouy, Guy Perrière, Guy Mouchiroud

Molecular Biology and Evolution . 23 ( 6 ) : 1232-41

DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msk007

Journal article

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Phylogeography of a subterranean amphipod reveals cryptic diversity and dynamic evolution in extreme environments

T. Lefébure, C.J. Douady, Manolo Gouy, P. Trontel, J. Briolay, J. Gibert

Molecular Ecology . 15 : 1797-1806

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.02888.x

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Mycobacterium bovis Infection

S. Mignard, Jean-Pierre Flandrois

Journal of Medical Microbiology . 56 : 1033-1041

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Molecular diversity of rhizobia nodulating the invasive legume Cytisus scoparius in Australia.

Bénédicte Lafay, Jeremy J. Burdon

Journal of Applied Microbiology . 100 ( 6 ) : 1228-38

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2006.02902.x

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Bradyrhizobia isolated from root nodules of Parasponia (Ulmaceae) do not constitute a separate coherent lineage.

Bénédicte Lafay, Erika Bullier, Jeremy J. Burdon

International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology . 56 ( Pt 5 ) : 1013-8

DOI: 10.1099/ijs.0.63897-0

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A maximum likelihood framework for protein design

Claudia Kleinman, Nicolas Rodrigue, Cécile Bonnard, Hervé Philippe, Nicolas Lartillot

BMC Bioinformatics . 7 : 326-336

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-7-326

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Quantitative prediction for two-dimensional bacterial genomic displays

Jean-François Mercier, Bénédicte Lafay, Gary W. Slater

American Physical Society Meeting .

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No Evidence for Tissue-Specific Adaptation of Synonymous Codon Usage in Humans

M. Sémon, J.R. Lobry, L. Duret

Molecular Biology and Evolution . 23 : 523-529

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