Dissertation Research: Evolution of Reproductive Proteins in Peromyscus

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Proteins involved in reproduction are among the most rapidly evolving genes in a wide variety of organisms. This striking pattern is of particular interest as reproductive proteins mediate species-specific fertilization, and thus have the potential to contribute to the speciation process. In mammals, adaptive evolution of male and female reproductive proteins has been documented among distantly related species. This project will investigate reproductive protein evolution between closely related species of deermice (genus Peromyscus). Using molecular and statistical approaches, this study will (1) identify rapidly evolving proteins expressed in deermice testis, (2) characterize the effects of mating system on rates of evolution, and (3) examine variation of male reproductive proteins within one species (P. truei). This work will provide a detailed understanding of how reproductive proteins have evolved between closely related species, where reproductive barriers act.This work will significantly contribute to the understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of reproductive proteins. The broader impacts of this project will be (1) providing a web-based program allowing scientists to compare genes expressed in any tissue to the genome of a related species, (2) providing information about rapidly evolving regions of sperm proteins which may be important for their reproductive functions, and 3) integrating teaching and research by training undergraduates.