Heliconius butterflkies are key models for the study of evolution in the wild. We have worked with colleagues across the globe to sequence and annotate the genome of the postman butterfly Heliconius melpomene melpomene, and to use this genome to reveal the eviolutionary history of the butterflies and of the genetic loci that control their mimetic wing patterns. Surprisingly, loci that determine wing patterning have introgressed between species, the first time that adaptive introgression has been identified in the wild. John Davey, a BBSRC-funded postdoc in the lab, worked on the sequencing and genetic map, and much of the data was generated by the GenePool.

Butterfly genome reveals promiscuous exchange of mimicry adaptations among species
The Heliconius Genome Consortium
Nature 2012 (eprint ahead of publication)

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature11041.html doi:10.1038/nature11041

We are workingwith Ross Houston and colleagues in developing RAD sequencing markers and maps for farmed salmon. The first paper from this project has just been published.

Characterisation of QTL-Linked and Genome-Wide Restriction Site-Associated DNA (RAD) markers in farmed Atlantic salmon
Ross D. Houston, John W. Davey, Stephen C. Bishop, Natalie R. Lowe, Jose C. Mota-Velasco, Alastair Hamilton, Derrick R. Guy, Alan E. Tinch, Marian L.Thomson, Mark L. Blaxter, Karim Gharbi, James E. Bron and John B. Taggart
BMC Genomics 2012

in press in BMC Genomics - weblink soon

Dominik Laetsch, a Diploma thesis student in the lab seconded from KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany, has produced a definitive phylogenetic analysis of the Anguillicolidae, important invasive nematode parasites of eels. It is published in BMC Evolutionary Biology.

The phylogenetics of Anguillicolidae (Nematoda: Anguillicolidea), swimbladder parasites of eels
Dominik R Laetsch, Emanuel G Heitlinger, Horst Taraschewski, Steven A Nadler and Mark L Blaxter
BMC Evolutionary Biology 2012, 12:60 doi:10.1186/1471-2148-12-60

We have published a short review of transcriptomic and genomic studies across the phylum Nematoda in a special issue of Parasite immunology.

Genomics and transcriptomics across the diversity of the Nematoda
M. BLAXTER, S. KUMAR, G. KAUR, G. KOUTSOVOULOS and B. ELSWORTH
Parasite Immunology, Vol 34, Issue 3, 108 -120 (Issue published online 13 Feb 2012)

Many apologies - we cannot afford to make this open access.

The 959 nematode genomes Initiative aims to support the wide community of researchers generating and analysisng nematode genomic resources. Sujai Kumar has built a community wiki for coordination and dissemination of the advances made in this initiative, and here (the databases and resources issue of NAR) we describe the core function of the semanticMediaWiki system we have implemented, and its content. We also wrote a short review in the new journal "Worm" we describe the current state-of-play of the 959 nematode genomes initiative, and place the current work in the context of the wider span of nematode diversit

959 Nematode Genomes: a semantic wiki for coordinating sequencing projects
Sujai Kumar, Philipp H. Schiffer, Mark Blaxter
Nucleic Acids Research, 40, D1295-D1300.
It is Open Access at http://nar.oxfordjournals.org/content/40/D1/D1295.abstract

Toward 959 nematode genomes
Kumar S, Koutsovoulos G, Kaur G, Blaxter M
Worm 2012, 1.
It is Open Access at http://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/worm/article/19046/

In collaboration with Joe Colgan (Trinity, Dublin) and colleagues we have generated a 454 sequencing based transcriptome of life cycle stages and castes of the bumble bee Bombus terrestris. A manuscript describing this work has been published in BMC Genomics.

Polyphenism in social insects: insights from a transcriptome-wide analysis of gene expression in the life stages of the key pollinator, Bombus terrestris
Thomas J Colgan, James C Carolan, Stephen J Bridgett, Seirian Sumner, Mark L Blaxter and Mark JF Brown
BMC Genomics 2011, 12:623 doi:10.1186/1471-2164-12-623

It is Open Access at http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/12/623