Necesidad de un centro nacional de bioinformática y biología computacional para Colombia / The need for a Colombian bioinformatics and computational biology centre

Los principales y más revolucionarios avances de la biología en este siglo se han derivado de la información proveniente de genomas completos de diferentes organismos. Los descubrimientos que se derivan de la genómica están generando un nuevo paradigma en la biología, sustituyendo la era de la biología centrada en los genes por aquella centrada en los genomas. Este nuevo concepto es base para desarrollos de gran potencial e impacto social en diferentes áreas como la medicina, la agricultura y la industria. El éxito en el desarrollo de métodos de última generación para la secuenciación de genomas, la proteómica y todas las “omicas”, ha contribuido al surgimiento de nuevas posibilidades para el análisis de la enorme cantidad de datos que se están generando mediante el uso de herramientas computacionales, dando origen a una nueva rama de estudio conocida como bioinformática o biología computacional.Este trabajo hace una revisión general del desarrollo de la bioinformática y la biología computacional en Colombia. Inicialmente, a modo de comparación, describimos el desarrollo de esta ciencia en otros países latinoamericanos que son reconocidos en el área. Finalmente, se discuten los principales aspectos que van a jugar un papel importante en el futuro de esta ciencia en nuestro país, y que además justifican la necesidad de crear un centro nacional de bioinformática y biología computacional.

The main, most revolutionary advances in biology during this century have arisen from information being provided from revealing different organisms’ complete genomes. The discoveries deriving from genomics are leading to a new paradigm in biology, the era of gene-centred biology being substituted for that centred on genomes. Such new concepts represent the basis for developments with great potential and social impact in different areas such as medicine, agriculture and industry. The successful development of latestgeneration methods for genome sequencing, proteomics and all the other “-omics” has contributed towards an enormous amount of genetic data being produced that needs to be analyzed using computational tools. This has led to the development of a new area called bioinformatics or computational biology.The present work gives a general overview of the development of bioinformatics and computational biology in Colombia. The justification for the establishment of a National ioinformatics and computational biology centre is discussed, as well as some aspects that will be crucial for developing this science in Colombia.

Mitochondrial genomes of Vanhornia eucnemidarum (Apocrita: Vanhorniidae) and Primeuchroeus spp. (Aculeata: Chrysididae): Evidence of rearranged mitochondrial genomes within the Apocrita (Insecta: Hymenoptera).

We sequenced most of the mitochondrial (mt) genomes of 2 apocritan taxa: Vanhornia eucnemidarum and Primeuchroeus spp. These mt genomes have similar nucleotide composition and codon usage to those of mt genomes reported for other Hymenoptera, with a total A + T content of 80.1% and 78.2%, respectively. Gene content corresponds to that of other metazoan mt genomes, but gene organization is not conserved. There are a total of 6 tRNA genes rearranged in V. eucnemidarum and 9 in Primeuchroeus spp. Additionally, several noncoding regions were found in the mt genome of V. eucnemidarum, as well as evidence of a sustained gene duplication involving 3 tRNA genes. We also report an inversion of the large and small ribosomal RNA genes in Primeuchroeus spp. mt genome. However, none of the rearrangements reported are phylogenetically informative with respect to the current taxon sample.

The position of the Hymenoptera within the Holometabola as inferred from the mitochondrial genome of Perga condei (Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Pergidae).

We sequenced most of the mitochondrial genome of the sawfly Perga condei (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Pergidae) and tested different models of phylogenetic reconstruction in order to resolve the position of the Hymenoptera within the Holometabola, using mitochondrial genomes. The mitochondrial genome sequenced for P. condei had less compositional bias and slower rates of molecular evolution than the honeybee, as well as a less rearranged genome organization. Phylogenetic analyses showed that, when using mitochondrial genomes, both adequate taxon sampling and more realistic models of analysis are necessary to resolve relationships among insect orders. Both parsimony and Bayesian analyses performed better when nucleotide instead of amino acid sequences were used. In particular, this study supports the placement of the Hymenoptera as sister group to the Mecopterida.

Differentiation and genetic analysis of Rhodnius prolixus and Rhodnius colombiensis by rDNA and RAPD amplification

Domiciliated Rhodnius prolixus and sylvatic R. colombiensis were analyzed in order to confirm their genetic divergence and verify the risk that the latter represents in the domiciliation process, and to provide tools for identifying the sources of possible reinfestation by triatomines in human dwellings allowing control programs to be undertaken. Comparison of random amplified polymorphic DNA amplification patterns and cluster analysis suggests reproductive discontinuity between the two species. The calculated statistical F value of 0.24 and effective migration rate of 0.6 individuals per generation are insufficient to maintain genetic homogeneity between them and confirm the absence of present genetic flow. R. colombiensis presents higher intrapopulation variability. Polymerase chain reaction of ribosomal DNA supports these findings. The low genetic flow between the two species implies that R. colombiensis do not represent an epidemiological risk for the domiciliary transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi in the Tolima Department. The lower variability of the domiciliated R. prolixus could result in greater susceptibility to the use of pesticides in control programs