Advances in DNA sequencing revolutionized the field of genomics over the last 5 years. New sequencing instruments make it possible to rapidly generate large amounts of sequence data at substantially lower cost. These high-throughput sequencing technologies (e.g. Roche 454 FLX, Life Technology SOLiD, Dover Polonator, Helicos HeliScope and Illumina Genome Analyzer) make whole genome sequencing and resequencing, transcript sequencing as well as quantification of gene expression, DNA-protein interactions and DNA methylation feasible at an unanticipated scale. In the field of evolutionary genomics, high-throughput sequencing permitted studies of whole genomes from ancient specimens of different hominin groups. Further, it allowed large-scale population genetics studies of present-day humans as well as different types of sequence-based comparative genomics studies in primates. Such comparisons of humans with closely related apes and hominins are important not only to better understand human origins and the biological background of what sets humans apart from other organisms, but also for understanding the molecular basis for diseases and disorders, particularly those that affect uniquely human traits, such as speech disorders, autism or schizophrenia. However, while the cost and time required to create comparative data sets have been greatly reduced, the error profiles and limitations of the new platforms differ significantly from those of previous approaches. This requires a specific experimental design in order to circumvent these issues, or to handle them during data analysis. During the course of my PhD, I analyzed and improved current protocols and algorithms for next generation sequencing data, taking into account the specific characteristics of these new sequencing technologies. The presented approaches and algorithms were applied in different projects and are widely used within the department of Evolutionary Genetics at the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology. In this thesis, I will present selected analyses from the whole genome shotgun sequencing of two ancient hominins and the quantification of gene expression from short-sequence tags in five tissues from three primates.

Sexual selection has long been a working explanation for the elaboration of appreciable traits in plants and animals, but the idea that it is an equally potent agent of change at the level of individual molecules is relatively recent. Indications that genes associated with reproductive biology evolve especially rapidly planted this notion, but many details about the genomics of sex remain elusive. Numerous studies have characterized rapid sequence and expression divergence of sex-related molecules, but few if any have demonstrated convincingly that these patterns exist as a result of sexual selection. This dissertation describes several genome-scale studies related to reproduction and the sexes in teleost fishes, a group of animals underexploited in regard to this topic. Using commercial microarrays I measured the extent of sexually dimorphic gene expression in the zebrafish, Danio rerio. Sex-biased patterns of gene expression in this species are similar to those described in other animals. A number of genes expressed at high levels in ovaries and testes relative to the body were identified as a product of the study, and these data may be useful for future studies of reproductive genes in Danio fishes. In a second study, the recent advent of high throughput cDNA pyrosequencing was leveraged to characterize the relationships between tissue-, sex-, and species-specific expression patterns of genes and rates of sequence evolution in swordtail fishes (Xiphophorus). I discovered ample evidence for expression biases of all three types, and a generally positive but idiosyncratic relationship between the magnitude of expression bias and rates of protein-coding sequence evolution. Pyrosequencing of cDNA was also used to explore the possibility that postcopulatory sexual selection drives the rapid evolution of male pregnancy genes, a novel class of reproductive molecules unique to syngnathid fishes (seahorses and pipefishes). Genes differentially expressed in the male brooding tissues as a function of pregnancy status evolve more rapidly at the amino acid level than genes exhibiting static expression. Brooding tissue genes expressed during male pregnancy have evolved especially rapidly in polyandrous lineages, a finding that supports the hypothesized relationship between postcopulatory sexual selection and the adaptive evolution of reproductive molecules.

Comparative genomics provides a tool to investigate large biological datasets, i.e. genomic datasets. In my thesis I focused on inferring patterns of selection in coding and non-coding regions of avian genomes. Until recently, large comparative studies on selection were mainly restricted to model species with sequenced genomes. This limitation has been overcome with advances in sequencing technologies and it is now possible to gather large genomic data sets for non-model species.  Next-generation sequencing data was used to study patterns of nucleotide substitutions and from this we inferred how selection has acted in the genomes of 10 non-model bird species. In general, we found evidence for a negative correlation between neutral substitution rate and chromosome size in birds. In a follow up study, we investigated two closely related bird species, to study expression levels in different tissues and pattern of selection. We found that between 2% and 18% of all genes were differentially expressed between the two species. We showed that non-coding regions adjacent to genes are under evolutionary constraint in birds, which suggests that noncoding DNA plays an important functional role in the genome. Regions downstream to genes (3’) showed particularly high level of constraint. The level of constraint in these regions was not correlated to the length of untranslated regions, which suggests that other causes play also a role in sequence conservation. We compared the rate of nonsynonymous substitutions to the rate of synonymous substitutions in order to infer levels of selection in protein-coding sequences. Synonymous substitutions are often assumed to evolve neutrally. We studied synonymous substitutions by estimating constraint on 4-fold degenerate sites of avian genes and found significant evolutionary constraint on this category of sites (between 24% and 43%). These results call for a reappraisal of synonymous substitution rates being used as neutral standards in molecular evolutionary analysis (e.g. the dN/dS ratio to infer positive selection). Finally, the problem of sequencing errors in next-generation sequencing data was investigated. We developed a program that removes erroneous bases from the reads. We showed that low coverage sequencing projects and large genome sequencing projects will especially gain from trimming erroneous reads.

Submitted by Automa??o e Estat?stica (sst@bczm.ufrn.br) on 2017-12-12T19:48:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 NerivaniaNunesGodeiro_TESE.pdf: 42759157 bytes, checksum: 096a840516dd298c1623004a0fa0476d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Arlan Eloi Leite Silva (eloihistoriador@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-12-14T20:25:43Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 NerivaniaNunesGodeiro_TESE.pdf: 42759157 bytes, checksum: 096a840516dd298c1623004a0fa0476d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-12-14T20:25:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 NerivaniaNunesGodeiro_TESE.pdf: 42759157 bytes, checksum: 096a840516dd298c1623004a0fa0476d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-09-27 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES) / Seirinae ? uma das mais diversas subfam?lias de Collembola, e grande parte dessa diversidade ? devida a Seira Lubbock que possui, aproximadamente, 220 esp?cies reconhecidas. At? o momento, nenhuma filogenia interna foi proposta para o t?xon, o que dificulta a organiza??o do conhecimento para compara??o, descri??o de novas esp?cies e g?neros, al?m da pr?pria compreens?o dos seus padr?es evolutivos. A quetotaxia dorsal ? o principal componente morfol?gico utilizado para distinguir esp?cies, e embora comprovadamente diagn?stico, pode ser vari?vel intraespecificamente. O principal objetivo deste trabalho ? esclarecer as rela??es filogen?ticas entre os Seirinae neotropicais, do ponto de vista molecular e morfol?gico, o que poder? resultar numa melhor organiza??o interna da subfam?lia. Para tanto, foram sequenciadas 27 amostras de diferentes esp?cies de Entomobryidae e uma de Paronellidae. Para as an?lises moleculares, foi extra?do e quantificado o DNA total de um indiv?duo/amostra e bibliotecas foram constru?das e sequenciadas por Next Generation Sequencing utilizando o HiSeq 2000. O genoma mitocondrial (DNAmt) completo das esp?cies foi reconstru?do atrav?s de an?lises de bioinform?tica utilizando duas metodologias: SOAPdenovo_Trans e MIRA/MITOBim. Duas filogenias foram propostas: uma contendo somente os genomas reconstru?dos neste trabalho e outra complementar, onde foram inclu?dos 11 DNAmt de Collembola disponibilizados em bancos de dados online. As filogenias foram feitas por an?lises Bayesianas utilizando os treze genes codificantes proteicos que correspondem a quase totalidade do DNAmt. Os resultados corroboram com a proposta atual que a ordem Poduromorpha ? a mais basal de Collembola; a ordem Symphypleona aparece como grupo-irm?o de Entomobryomorpha, que apresenta clara divis?o em duas superfam?lias, Isotomoidea e Entomobryoidea; o posicionamento dos g?neros Lepidocyrtoides Sch?tt e Lepidosira Sch?tt dentro de Entomobryinae corroboram com a mais recente filogenia publicada; a monofilia de Seirinae e seus grandes grupos internos foi comprovada pela primeira vez por dados moleculares com alto apoio nodal; o g?nero Tyrannoseira Bellini & Zeppelini, recentemente descrito, foi validado filogeneticamente; Lepidocyrtinus B?rner foi al?ado a status de g?nero; e tr?s sinon?mias de esp?cies foram propostas; por fim, algumas caracter?sticas morfol?gicas de Seirinae foram identificadas como diagn?sticas e com sinal filogen?tico, como por exemplo, a quantidade de macroquetas no primeiro segmento abdominal. / Seirinae is one of the most diverse subfamilies of Collembola, and a considerable part of this diversity is comprised by Seira Lubbock, which currently gathers approximately 220 species. So far no internal phylogeny Seirinae was proposed, what leads to difficulties in the establishment of comparative knowledge, description of new taxa, and also the understanding of the evolutionary patterns within this taxon. The dorsal chaetotaxy is the main morphological component utilised to distinguish species, and although undoubtedly diagnostic, it can be variable interspecifically. The main aim of this work is to clarify the phylogenetic relations within the Neotropical Seirinae based on both molecular and morphological data, which might result in a better internal organization of the subfamily. For this aim, 27 samples of different species belonging to Entomobryidae and one of Paronellidae were sequenced. As for molecular analyses genomic DNA of one individual/sample was extracted and quantified and sequencing libraries were built and sequenced using Next-Generation Sequencing on HiSeq 2000. The whole mitochondrial genome (DNAmt) of the species was reconstructed by two methods: SOAPdenovo_Trans and MIRA/MITOBim. Two phylogenies were then proposed: one containing only genomes reconstructed in this study as well as a complementary one, where 11 Collembola DNAmt available in a public database were also included. The phylogenies were generated through Bayesian analyses using the thirteen protein coding genes that almost correspond to the entire DNAmt. The results corroborate the current proposal which claims the order Poduromorpha as the most basal order of Collembola; the order Symphypleona as the sister-group of Entomobryomorpha, which shows clear division into two superfamilies, Isotomoidea and Entomobryoidea; the placement of Lepidocyrtoides Sch?tt and Lepidosira Sch?tt genera inside Entomobryinae corroborates the most recently published phylogeny; the monophyly of the internal groups of Seirinae based on molecular evidence was confirmed for the first time showing high nodal support; Tyrannoseira Bellini & Zeppelini, recently described, was validated phylogenetically; Lepidocyrtinus B?rner was elevated to genus status; and three species synonyms were proposed; finally some morphological characteristics of Seirinae were identified as diagnostic and having phylogenetic signal, for instance, the quantity of macrochaetae on the first abdominal segment.

Staphylococcus aureus remains an important pathogen, which, due to its capability to develop antimicrobial resistance, imposes an increasing threat to human health. Developing preventive means to decrease disease burden is a major aim. However, the development of an S. aureus vaccine, which would be one strategy to achieve such goals, has been complicated through limited understanding of the bacterium's pathogenic mechanisms. This work uses four approaches to address these limitations: Firstly, a reproducible RNA sequencing based method for the determination of gene transcription by S. aureus in vivo during mammalian infection. Secondly, examination of the impact of the bacterial transcription regulator 'Rsp' on the bacterium, which shows that mutations in this gene have profound functional and transcriptional impacts. Thirdly, by examining the in vivo transcription of multiple S. aureus strains during infection, proposing a 'core in vivo transcriptome' of induced genes under the conditions tested. Some of these genes are known to be involved in pathogenesis, others are not completely characterised and may represent suitable vaccine antigens. Finally, this work addresses limited understanding of S. aureus pathogenesis through defining transcriptional changes in vivo, which are induced by an altered immune response in immunised hosts. Together, this body of work contributes to the understanding of S. aureus pathogenesis and provides candidate antigens for future vaccine development.

Oocyte activation deficiency (OAD) is an infertile condition observed in patients who have experienced recurrent total fertilisation failure (TFF) following intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment. This condition was considered to be an idiopathic factor for a long time but strong clinical evidence now suggests that dysfunctional forms of phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ) may be predominant causative factors for OAD. Genetic contribution has played a role in patients suspected of having OAD, as four PLCζ exonic mutations have been discovered and characterised as being the cause of infertility. In this study, a novel nonsense mutation, PLCζK322Stop, was identified in the PLCζ XY-linker region of Patient LR. This variant results in the truncation of approximately half of PLCζ, therefore was non-functional when activity was tested. Patient LR, which also exhibited a previously reported mutation, PLCζH233L, may suggest that the patient is sub-fertile, as opposed to being infertile, as initially expected. Although research has purely focused upon the coding regions of PLCζ, it was obvious that our knowledge of PLCζ regulatory elements remain very limited. Next generation sequencing (NGS) was therefore employed to detect variants in the non-coding regions of PLCζ, promoter and introns, which may have resulted in the observed phenotypic diversity of PLCζ expression in fertile and infertile patients. As a result of mapping failure, an alternative approach was considered to identify variants within human PLCζ, and this involved using the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) database. Over 2500 SNPs were localised in the intronic regions of PLCζ and thus, it could be speculated that these variants may help elucidate the wide variation of PLCζ expression reported. Additionally, two particular patients with TFF (79 and 107) were investigated in this study to identify an association with PLCζ and their infertile state. For Patient 79, multiple PLCζ immunofluorescence analysis was performed and a significant improvement in PLCζ expression was observed one year after his first investigation. This may have been the result of an external factor, which influenced protein expression. As for Patient 107, a novel substitution mutation, PLCζV193E, was identified and was predicted to affect PLCζ stability and folding. There is global interest to create a safer and alternative OAD therapy, namely a human recombinant PLCζ protein (hrPLCζ). The first method, using a bacterial cell line resulted in successful purification and identification but the product proved to be inactive following mouse oocyte microinjection. The second method involved production of a mammalian-expressed hrPLCζ, which was successfully purified and identified but due to time restrictions, could not be tested for functionality. Concurrently, the findings in this thesis have reinforced the association between PLCζ and OAD, and provided improved options for the diagnosis and treatment of OAD.

Serological discrepancies in matching blood group antigens between donors and patients for blood transfusion may lead to alloimmunisation, especially in multiply transfused patients. Blood group genotyping (BGG) has contributed in reducing this issue. ABO, Fy and Jk antigens are among those to be causative for alloimmunisation through transfusion or pregnancy. The number of alleles of these clinically significant blood groups is ever increasing. Currently, all commercially available high-throughput BGG platforms are only based on pre-defined polymorphisms. Consequently, novel or rare alleles that might have clinical significance are not identified. Next generation sequencing (NGS) circumvents this issue by providing high-throughput comprehensive genotyping of blood group genes in discovery mode to find all existing and novel mutations. Accordingly, a large number of individuals can be genotyped in a single run. Here, we describe an NGS-based method coupled with long-range polymerase chain reaction (LR-PCR) for high-throughput, rapid and extensive genotyping of FY, JK and ABO blood group genes. The Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGMTM) was used for sequencing the entire FY, JK and ABO blood group genes including flanking regions. Accordingly, high resolution genotyping was obtained. 53 genomic DNA samples were sequenced and genotyped for FY, 67 for JK and 47 for ABO. Sequencing data were aligned to the gene reference sequence derived from the human genome (hg19) to analyse variants. Analysis was accomplished by software packages, such as Ion Torrent SuiteTM plugins. Sanger sequencing of cDNA and cDNA clones was used to confirm findings in the JK gene. The sequencing data had a coverage depth of more than 5000x for FY, 700x for JK and 600x for ABO. NGS data matched with the serological phenotypes of FY alleles FY*A, FY*B and FY*02 Null main polymorphisms, such as FY*A/FY*B (125G > A) in exon 2 and (-67 T > C) in the promotor region. JK variant analysis revealed that the JK*01W.01 allele (130G > A) is common (10/67 samples) with normal antigenicity. The previously described silencing polymorphism (810G > A), leading to a purported JK*B null allele, restores a splice site and does not correlate with loss of Jkb antigenicity (10/67 samples). JK intron analysis revealed several new JK alleles described in this thesis. All 7 exons, introns and the flanking regions of the ABO gene were covered by only four amplicons. Several rare O alleles were found, such as O73 and O75, while one suggested novel O allele was characterised by a missense SNP 482G > A (Arg161His) in exon 7. The ABO reference sequence from hg19 appeared to resemble (O01 and O02) alleles. The intronic SNPs might be used to distinguish between alleles more accurately as a correlation of the intronic SNPs with the alleles was noted for the homozygous O alleles. It is predicted that NGS-based genotyping will replace not only microarray-based genotyping but also serology in the blood group typing of individuals, with great advancements in technology and molecular knowledge being expected in the near future.

The PhD research studied two aspects in tilapia, firstly the analysis of sex determination in Nile tilapia (evidence of complex sex-determining systems) and secondly the genetic management of the tilapia species, using different genomic analysis approaches. This research started with the development of two techniques: minimally invasive DNA sampling from fish mucus, which was found to be suitable for standard genotyping and double-digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing – ddRADseq; and pre-extraction pooling of tissue samples for ddRADseq (BSA-ddRADseq), which was found to be suitable for identifying a locus linked to a trait of interest (sex in this case). The first molecular evidence concerning the sex determination in genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) was described using BSA-ddRADseq. Given the multiple stock origin of GIFT, surprisingly only a single locus (in linkage group 23) was found to be associated with the phenotypic sex across the population. The first evidence of LG23 influence on phenotypic sex in the Stirling population of Nile tilapia was also found. Different combinations of estrogen hormones and high temperature were tested for feminising Nile tilapia: a combined treatment of estrogen hormone and high temperature was found to be more efficient in feminising Nile tilapia than the estrogen alone. A set of species-diagnostic SNP markers were tested which were found to be suitable to distinguish pure species (O. niloticus, O. mossambicus and O. aureus), and these were used to analyse species contribution to GIFT and a selected tilapia hybrid strain. The results of the current research added novel information to our understanding of sex determination in Nile tilapia, which will be helpful in the development of marker-assisted selection in GIFT and other Nile tilapia strains towards the production of all male offspring. The methods developed also have broader applicability in genetic and genomics research.

Submitted by LIVIA MARIA GONÇALVES ROSSI null (liv.rossi@yahoo.com) on 2016-01-25T14:04:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE_HCV Multi-region_LIVIA ROSSI.pdf: 6853283 bytes, checksum: d2ce231bc1292f9fa0469f971cf0856b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Juliano Benedito Ferreira (julianoferreira@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-01-25T17:23:43Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 rossi_lmg_dr_sjrp.pdf: 6853283 bytes, checksum: d2ce231bc1292f9fa0469f971cf0856b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-25T17:23:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 rossi_lmg_dr_sjrp.pdf: 6853283 bytes, checksum: d2ce231bc1292f9fa0469f971cf0856b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-01-18 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O vírus da Hepatite C (HCV) afeta cerca de 3% da população mundial. A cada ano, 3-4 milhões de novos casos são diagnosticados. A identificação de redes transmissão é complexa devido ao longo período de incubação, à falta de sintomas na fase aguda da doença e à heterogeneidade do HCV, que dificulta o estabelecimento de vínculos entre casos relacionados. Uma ampla caracterização das populações intra-hospedeiros pode ser realizada de forma eficiente através do sequenciamento de nova geração (NGS). Com base neste contexto, o sequenciamento de múltiplas regiões subgenômicas é uma solução às limitações impostas pela rápida evolução molecular do HCV. Variantes virais das regiões HVR1 e NS5A de 16 pacientes cronicamente infectados com o HCV, genótipos 1a e 1b, foram sequenciadas com a técnica de NGS. Os pacientes 1-7 compartilhavam fatores de risco, pertencendo ao mesmo grupo de usuários de drogas injetáveis, porém o parentesco genético desses casos não pode ser estabelecido com base apenas no sequenciamento da HVR1 (distância nucleotídica mínima entre 16-23). A amplificação de um fragmento maior (~450 pb), correspondente a um segmento da região NS5A, aprimorou a relação epidemiológica entre os pacientes 1-5, onde as distancias genéticas mínimas foram consideravelmente menores (9-13). Os pacientes 6 e 7 não compartilharam sequências com os outros cinco pacientes dessa rede, apresentando populações virais mais homogêneas. Adicionalmente, Median Joining Networks foram construídas para melhor analisar a variabilidade genética intra-hospedeiro. Em geral, observou-se que as sequências derivadas da NS5A formaram comunidades mais homogêneas e menos divergentes geneticamente. Assim, a tecnologia NGS e o sequenciamento das regiões subgenômicas HVR1 e NS5A podem ajudar a restaurar elos perdidos quando somente a região HVR1 é analisada, aprimorando portanto, a resolução de estudos de associação genética entre populações de HCV. / The hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects approximately 3% of the world's population. Each year 3-4 million new cases are diagnosed. The identification of transmission networks is complicated due to the characteristic long incubation period, the lack of symptoms during the acute phase of the disease and the heterogeneity of HCV, making it challenging to link related cases to a common source of infection. Extensive characterization of intra-host populations can be reliably archived using next generation sequencing (NGS) approaches. Sequencing of multiple and longer subgenomic regions has been proposed as an alternative to overcome the limitations imposed by the rapid molecular evolution of the HCV HVR1. Thus, the NS5A and HVR1 regions of 16 chronically infected individuals, genotypes 1a and 1b, were sequenced using a NGS platform. Patients 1-7 shared risk factors and belonged to the same injection drug users network. However, genetic relatedness could not be established based on the HVR1 sequences (minimal nucleotide distance ranging from 16-23). Amplification and sequencing of a larger PCR fragment (~450 bp) targeting the NS5A region reestablished lost epidemiological links between patients 1-5. The minimum genetic distances in those patients were considerable smaller than the HVR1 counterparts (9-13). Patients 6 and 7 displayed a rather homogeneous viral population and were clearly not sharing any sequences with all other five patients in this network. Additionally, Median Joining Networks analysis was carried out to further analyze the intrahost genetic variability of all seven patients. Overall, NS5A sequences were significantly less diverse than their HVR1 equivalents. Thus, NGS technology and use of both HVR1 and NS5A sequences might help restored otherwise lost links when the HVR1 region alone is analyzed, improving the resolution of HCV genetic relatedness studies. / CAPES: 33004153079P9

Submitted by TATIANE CRISTINA SELEGUIM CHUD null (tatischud@gmail.com) on 2018-03-13T20:36:16Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Tatiane_Cristina_Seleguim_Chud.pdf: 4849443 bytes, checksum: b950a6891cf2829637cfa58f2ae8367a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Neli Silvia Pereira null (nelisps@fcav.unesp.br) on 2018-03-16T18:20:58Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 chud_tcs_dr_jabo.pdf: 4849443 bytes, checksum: b950a6891cf2829637cfa58f2ae8367a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-03-16T18:20:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 chud_tcs_dr_jabo.pdf: 4849443 bytes, checksum: b950a6891cf2829637cfa58f2ae8367a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-23 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Com o avanço das tecnologias genômicas, permitiu-se detectar no genoma de humanos e animais domésticos elevado número de variações estruturais cromossômicas, como variação no número de cópias (CNV). No melhoramento genético de animais domésticos, CNVs podem auxiliar no entendimento da variabilidade genética de características de importância econômica, pois a maioria dessas regiões influenciam a expressão de genes com funções biológicas específicas. Com a finalidade de verificar possíveis relações de CNVs com características de sanidade, reprodutivas e produtivas em rebanhos leiteiros, o objetivo deste trabalho foi detectar e caracterizar CNVs em bovinos da raça composta Girolando (Gir X Holandês), identificar CNVs específicas em animais Girolando oriundas de animais da raça Gir e Holandês e investigar a diferenciação populacional entre as três raças por meio da variação no número de cópias nas regiões próximas aos genes anotados no genoma bovino. Para detecção das CNVs por meio dos dados de painel de polimorfismo de nucleotídeo único (SNP), no capítulo 2, foram utilizados registros de 1.607 vacas genotipadas com painel de SNP de média densidade (50K SNP) e de 280 touros genotipados com painel de alta densidade (HD SNP). A detecção foi realizada por meio do modelo oculto de Markov implementado pelo programa PennCNV. Foram utilizados dois touros ressequenciados para identificação das CNVs pelo método “read -depth” por meio dos dados de sequenciamento de nova-geração (NGS). Um total de 203 e 213 regiões candidatas de CNVs foram selecionadas pelos painéis de 50K e HD, respectivamente. Deleções e duplicações relacionadas a resistência a parasitas, susceptibilidade à doenças e reprodução, foram encontradas principalmente nos cromossomos BTA 5 e BTA 17. A detecção e caracterização das CNVs realizadas em bovinos de leite de raça composta demonstrou melhor entendimento das características de adaptabilidade ao clima tropical, como resistência à doenças e eficiência reprodutiva. No capítulo 3, foram utilizados cinco animais da raça Holandês, 14 animais da raça Gir e dois animais da raça Girolando. Após o alinhamento do genoma foi realizada a detecção das CNVs pela metodologia baseada em “read-depth”. A estatística VST.foi calculada pela média do número de cópias nas regiões próximas aos genes anotados no genoma bovina. Genes relacionados com fertilidade (MEPCE, ASB3) e susceptibilidade às doenças (HLX, MIR-455) foram anotados nas regiões específicas compartilhadas entre Girolando e as raças formadoras (Gir e Holandês). Os valores de VST variaram de -0,37 a 0,98. Os genes AOX1, SLBP, TACC3 e PRAME, apresentaram elevado VST, indicando diferenciação populacional pelo número de cópias, possivelmente originárias durante os processos de domesticação das subespécies. Regiões especificas de CNVS foram identificadas nos animais Girolando provenientes do Gir e do Holandês. O estudo de diferenciação populacional evidenciou seleção positiva no genoma de animais da raça Gir e Girolando para características relacionadas à adaptação desses animais aos ambientes de clima tropical, possivelmente originadas do processo de domesticação. / The advances of the genomic technologies has enabled to identify a high number of chromosomal structural variations in human and domestic animal genomes, such as copy number variation (CNV). In animal breeding, CNVs may assist to understand genetic variability of the economic important traits due most of the CNVs influence gene expression with specific biological functions. To identify possible CNVs linked to health, reproductive and productive traits in dairy cattle, the objective of this work was to detect and to describe CNVs in Girolando cattle (Gir x Holstein), to identify breed-specific CNV regions in Girolando from Gir and Holstein, and to investigate the population differentiation among the breeds using the copy number located on regions within annotated genes. In chapter 2, the CNV detection using single-nucleotidepolymorphism (SNP) panel was carried out on 1.607 females genotyped with the medium-density SNP panel (50K SNP) and 280 bulls genotyped with high-density panel (HD SNP) using Hidden Markov model implemented by PennCNV software. CNV calling also was perform using read-depth method applied on next-generation sequencing (NGS) data from two bulls resenquenced. A total of 203 and 213 CNVs candidate’s regions were picked using 50K e HD panels, respectively. Deletions and duplications related to parasite resistance, to disease susceptibility, and to reproductive efficiency was observed mainly located on chromosome BTA 5 and BTA 17. The detection and characterization of the CNVs in composite dairy cattle breed demonstrated better understanding of the traits, such disease resistance and reproductive efficiency. In chapter 3, the CNV calling was carried out on three Girolando bulls, 14 Gir bulls, and five Holstein bulls resequenced using the “readdepth” method implemented by CNVnator software. The VST statistic was calculated for the average of the copy number in regions located near annotated genes. Genes linked to fertility (MEPCE, ASB3) and disease susceptibility (HLX, MIR-455) were mapped on specific regions shared between Girolando and the pure-breeds (Gir ans Holstein). VST values ranged from -0.37 to 0.98. The genes AOX1, SLBP, TACC3 and PRAME, showed high VST, indicating high level of the population differentiation for the copy number located on the regions near of these genes. We found CNVR regions in Girolando specific from Gir and Holstein. The population differentiation study evidenced positive selection in genome of the Gir and Girolando animals for traits related to the adaptability of the breeds in tropical environmental may have originated from the domestication process. / FAPESP : 15/08939-0