Background#R##N#Understanding genome evolution provides insight into biological mechanisms. For many years comparative genomics and analysis of conserved chromosomal regions have helped to unravel the mechanisms involved in genome evolution and their implications for the study of biological systems. Detection of conserved regions (descending from a common ancestor) not only helps clarify genome evolution but also makes it possible to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and investigate gene function.#R##N##R##N#The identification and comparison of conserved regions on a genome scale is computationally intensive, making process automation essential. Three key requirements are necessary: consideration of phylogeny to identify orthologs between multiple species, frequent updating of the annotation and panel of compared genomes and computation of statistical tests to assess the significance of identified conserved gene clusters.
['Virginie Lopez Rascol', 'Anthony Levasseur', 'Olivier Chabrol', 'Simona Grusea', 'Philippe Gouret', 'Etienne Danchin', 'Pierre Pontarotti']
CASSIOPE: An expert system for conserved regions searches