Genome Biology

The development of DNA sequencing methods and the exponentially growing volume of genomic data represent one of the main drivers of biological progress over the past twenty years. The availability of genomic sequences from a rapidly increasing number of organisms, together with the current possibility of sequencing genomes and transcriptomes of target organisms even in laboratories outside major genome centers, has fundamentally transformed the nature of biological research. Bioinformatic analyses of genomic and transcriptomic data allow for an unprecedented understanding of the gene repertoire of organisms and its evolutionary history. At the same time, they provide a foundation for follow-up research into the functioning of living systems at the level of individual genes, molecular modules, cells, and whole organisms. Genomic approaches are also critical for modern medical and biotechnological research. The proposed main research direction, titled “Genomic Biology,” institutionalizes research activities in genomics and related approaches as they are currently conducted at the Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava (under the umbrella of the Life Science Research Centre). Within the University of Ostrava’s aspiration to establish itself as an institution conducting top-level basic research, the support of genomics-oriented research should be a natural priority. This follows both from the growing global importance of this segment of modern science and from the fact that this type of research has been successfully established at the University of Ostrava in recent years. The international team supporting the proposed main research direction brings significant new insights and discoveries, publishes regularly in leading scientific journals, and is able to secure a substantial part of its resources from both domestic and international grants. Genomic approaches closely connect biological and medical research; therefore, it should be a natural ambition to further strengthen and expand this main research direction as a critical link between the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ostrava.

Research Teams

Major projects over the last five years

  • GAČR 22-29633S Study of a newly discovered cellular system crucial for understanding the origin and early evolution of mitochondria, 1/2022 – 12/2024
  • GAČR 23-06203S Pushing the boundaries of plastid biology through the study of secondarily non-photosynthetic protists, 1/2023 – 12/2025
  • GAČR 23-05764S Organelle translation as an evolutionary playground, 1/2023 – 12/2025
  • GAČR 24-10009S Trypanosomatid viruses: maintenance and transmission, 1/2024 – 12/2026
  • GAČR 25-15298S Digging deeper: endosymbiotic systems of trypanosomatids and diplonemids, 1/2025 – 12/2027

Significant publications

  • Lazaridis, I., Patterson, N., Anthony, D., Viazov, L., Fournier, R., Ringbauer, H., Olalde, I., Khokhlov, A. A., Kitov, E. P., Shishlina, N. I., Ailincăi, S. C., Agapov, D. S., Agapov, S. A., Batieva, E., Bauyrzhan, B., Bereczki, Z., Buzhilova, A., Changmai, P., Chizhevsky, A. A. a Ciobanu, I. et al. The genetic origin of the Indo-Europeans. NATURE. 2025, 639(8053), 132-142.
  • Zeng, T. C., Viazov, L., Kim, A., Flegontov, P., Sirak, K., Maier, R., Lazaridis, I., Akbari, A., Frachetti, M., Tischkin, A. A., Ryabogina, N. E., Agapov, S. A., Agapov, D. S., Alekseev, A. N., Boeskorov, G., Derevianko, A. P., Dyakonov, V. M., Enshin, D. N., Fribus, A. V. a Frolov, Y. V. et al. Ancient DNA reveals the prehistory of the Uralic and Yeniseian peoples. NATURE. 2025, 644(8075), s. 122-132.
  • Wiener, P., Friedrich, J., Marr, M. M., Simo, G., Tanya, V. N., Ballingall, K. T., Flegontov, P., Rosen, B. D., Salle, G., Spangler, G., Van Tassell, C. P., Salavati, M., Meutchieye, F. a Clark, E. L. Genomic Analysis of Hair Sheep From West/Central Africa Reveals Unique Genetic Diversity and Ancestral Links to Breed Formation in the Caribbean. Molecular Ecology. 2025. e17796
  • Cadena, L. R., Hammond, M., Tesarova, M., Chmelová, Ľ., Svobodová, M., Durante, I. M., Yurchenko, V. a Julius, L. A novel nabelschnur protein regulates segregation of the kinetoplast DNA in Trypanosoma brucei. Current Biology. 2024, 34(20), 4803-4812.
  • Kostygov, A., Skýpalová, K., Kraeva, N., Kalita, E., Yurchenko, V., Butenko, A., McLeod, C., Field, M. C. a Julius, L. Comprehensive analysis of the Kinetoplastea intron landscape reveals a novel intron-containing gene and the first exclusively trans-splicing eukaryote. BMC Biology. 2024, 22(1), 281.
  • Opperdoes, F. R., Záhonová, K., Sveráková, I., Bučková, B., Chmelová, Ľ., Lukeš, J. a Yurchenko, V. In silico prediction of the metabolism of Blastocrithidia nonstop, a trypanosomatid with non-canonical genetic code. BMC Genomics. 2024, 25(1), 184.
  • Terpis, K. X., Salomaki, E. D., Barcyté, D., Pánek, T., Verbruggen, H., Kolísko, M., Bailey, J. C., Eliáš, M. a Lane, C. E. Multiple plastid losses within photosynthetic stramenopiles revealed by comprehensive phylogenomics. Current Biology. 2025, 35(3), 483-499.
  • Vargová, R., Chevreau, R., Alves, M., Courbin, C., Terry, K., Legrand, P., Eliáš, M., Menetrey, J., Dacks, J. B. a Jackson, C. L. The Asgard archaeal origins of Arf family GTPases involved in eukaryotic organelle dynamics. Nature Microbiology. 2025, 10, 495-508.
  • Harada, R., Hirakawa, Y., Yabuki, A., Kim, E., Yazaki, E., Kamikawa, R., Nakano, K., Eliáš, M. a Inagaki, Y. Encyclopedia of Family A DNA Polymerases Localized in Organelles: Evolutionary Contribution of Bacteria Including the Proto-Mitochondrion. Molecular Biology And Evolution. 2024, 41(2), msae014.

Updated: 05. 06. 2026