Collaborative Proposal: De Novo Genes in Drosophila: Functions, Origins, and Polymorphisms

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(Public Law 111-5)资助的。智力价值：在分子水平上，人们通常认为新的蛋白质是通过对现有蛋白质进行微妙的调整来进化的，而不是通过激进的变化。然而，新的基因组数据正在挑战这一传统观点。事实上，基因组是动态的和救赎的；基因的产生、进化和死亡的速度比之前想象的要快得多。弄清楚基因是如何形成或被破坏的，对于理解生物体如何以及为什么适应自然和人为的环境变化至关重要。果蝇(果蝇)是唯一适合于确定塑造新基因的功能和起源的生物过程的研究。科学家们对果蝇的生物学有了深刻的了解，拥有先进的分子遗传工具，以及丰富的果蝇基因组数据。使用这些工具，这些合作者将确定新基因是如何形成的，以及它们起源的遗传机制。研究的更广泛的影响：提高我们对新基因的作用、它们是如何产生的、以及它们出现的原因的理解，将使我们深入了解生物体如何在基因上对环境压力做出反应。越来越明显的是，人为的环境变化对包括人类在内的所有生物都构成了挑战。新基因可能是克服这些挑战的一种解决方案。由于这些新基因中的一些是从祖先没有编码基因的DNA序列中产生的，这表明所有生物的基因组中隐藏着意想不到的丰富的遗传潜力。这项研究将帮助科学了解这种遗传潜力是如何实现的，以及如何实现的。两位研究人员都积极参与扩大未被充分代表的群体在科学领域的参与。此外，该项目将支持一项计划，使研究生和博士后研究员熟悉社区学院教师可以获得的机会，并为这种努力提供教学培训。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Intellectual merit: At the molecular level, new proteins have typically been thought to evolve by subtle tweaks of existing proteins, not by radical changes. New genomic data, however, are challenging this traditional view. Genomes are, in fact, dynamic and saltational; genes arise, evolve, and die much more rapidly than previously thought. Making sense of how and why genes are formed or destroyed is critical to understanding how and why organisms adapt to natural and man-made environmental change. Drosophila (fruit flies) are uniquely suited for studies to determine the biological processes shaping the functions and origins of new genes. Scientists have a deep understanding of Drosophila biology, sophisticated molecular genetic tools, and a wealth of Drosophila genomic data. Using these tools, these collaborators will determine how new genes are formed and the genetic mechanisms underlying their origination. Broader Impacts of Study: Improving our understanding of what new genes do, how they arose, or why they emerged will give insight into how organisms genetically respond to environmental pressures. It is increasingly clear that man-made environmental change presents a challenge to all living things, including humans. New genes may be one type of solution to overcoming these challenges. As some of these new genes arise from DNA sequence that ancestrally did not code for a gene, this suggests that hidden within the genomes of all living things is an unanticipated wealth of genetic potential. This research will help science understand how this genetic potential has been and can be realized. Both investigators are actively involved in broadening the participation of underrepresented groups in science. Additionally, this project will support a program to both familiarize graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with the opportunities available to the faculty of community colleges, and to provide pedagogical training for such an endeavor.