A novel algorithm to reconstruct phylogenies using gene sequences and expression data

Phylogenies based on single loci should be viewed with caution and the best approach for obtaining robust trees is to examine numerous loci across the genome. It often happens that for the same set of species trees derived from different genes are in conflict between each other. There are several methods that combine information from different genes in order to infer the species tree. One novel approach is to use informationfrom different -omics. Here we describe a phylogenetic method based on an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process that combines sequence and gene expression data. We test our method on genes belonging to the histidine biosynthetic operon. We found that the method provides interesting insights into selection pressures and adaptive hypotheses concerning gene expression levels.
Svenska institutet supported this work through their Östersjösamarbetet scholarship program.