3.25.19 Creating a Research Question

Rationale: As the poster has been predominantly finished, the class will now move on to independent research projects. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a research question to guide our research moving forward.

Tools:

Our group narrowed down our search to focus mainly on repeats and how they may reveal functions about genes with no function. To find these repeats, we downloaded the Gepard dotplot software that will allow us to find areas of NapoleonB’s genome.

Results:

Four questions were successfully developed and submitted, and the Gepard software was successfully downloaded and usage was practiced to build confidence before research formally begins. The main question that our group would like to focus on is “Is it possible to use coding or noncoding repeats in the genomes of AM cluster Arthrobacter phages to predict the functions of genes with no known function?”. There are components of this question that will be refined as preliminary research is done, but this question seemed to our group to fit each component of a good research question.

Conclusion:

Research questions need to be specific, as initially looking at the immense genome of NapoleonB and all the options seemed a daunting task. By creating a specific question, results are likely to be focused and easier to process, which eliminates doing inefficient work that will result in less meaningful results.

Next Steps:

The Gepard software will be used to create a dot plot of NapoleonB’s genome and begin to reveal where there are repeats. These results will be analyzed and used to hone our research question.