POWRE: Evolution and Persistence of the T-Haplotype in Finite Populations

Durand Ultraselfish基因复合物（USGC’s）是一种既具有攻击性又具有危害性的染色体实体，已在多个物种中观察到。它们比它们的基因对应物更容易遗传给后代，这违反了孟德尔定律。然而，它们对携带它们的生物体是有害的，因为它们会导致不育，并且经常携带隐性致命突变。USGC的进化作为单个生物体中遗传元素之间竞争进化的一个例子而引起了人们的兴趣。玛丽·丹尼·杜兰德这项工作的长期目标是了解USGC是如何在种群中进化的。当前项目的目标是通过开发小鼠USGC的组合模型，证明模拟和分析方法的结合可以成为该领域的有效研究工具。计算机模拟和马尔可夫模型将用于研究小型种群中超自鱼基因的行为，在这些种群中，USGC频率的随机变化对这些元素的生存能力有很大的影响。对USGC突变的计算机模拟将显示不同的攻击性变异如何在选择压力下竞争。本研究的预期成果包括：为研究USGC的进化和种群动态提供新的工具，对USGC进化的基本种群遗传机制进行假设，并对USGC产生和持续的种群条件进行表征。这个POWRE奖允许Durand博士通过运用她的计算技能来模拟进化生物学中的一个重要问题来扩展她的研究计划。这项工作将增加她在生物科学跨学科领域的突出地位，在这个领域妇女的代表人数明显不足。

9752945 Durand Ultraselfish gene complexes (USGC's), which have been observed in several species, are chromosomal entities that are both aggressive and deleterious. They are transmitted to offspring more often than their genetic counterparts, in violation of Mendel's laws. Yet, they are harmful to the organism that carries them in that they cause sterility and often carry recessive lethal mutations. The evolution of USGC's is of interest as an example of competitive evolution between genetic elements in a single organism. The long term objective of this work by Marie Dannie Durand is to understand how USGC's evolve in populations. The goal of the current project is to demonstrate that a combination of simulation and analytic methods can be an effective research tool in this area by developing a combined model of a USGC that occurs in mice. Computer simulations and Markov models will be used to study the behavior of ultraselfish genes in small populations where stochastic variations in USGC frequency have a big impact on the ability of such elements to survive. Computer simulations of mutations in USGC's will show how different aggressive variants compete under selective pressure. The expected results of the proposed work include new tools for studying the evolution and population dynamics of USGC's, hypotheses concerning the basic population genetic mechanisms that mediate their evolution and characterization of the population conditions under which USGC's can arise and persist. This POWRE award permits Dr. Durand to expand her research program by applying her computational skills to model a significant question in evolutionary biology. This work should increase her prominence in an interdisciplinary area of the biological sciences, an area in which women are significantly underrepresented.