DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Investigating the Functions and Phenotypes of Recently Originated Genes and Their Roles in Lineage-Specific Evolution

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To understand the evolutionary diversification of animals, the applicants will investigate the variation of phenotypes and their genetic basis in multiple species of fruitflies in the genus Drosophila. The connection to diverse phenotypic features has been mapped to protein-coding changes, cis-regulatory changes and lineage-specific genes. The applicants' recent discoveries showed that many young genes played essential roles in organism development. This research will (1) investigate the reproductive contribution of young genes using the evolutionary genetic analysis and gene silencing techniques, (2) detect their interactions with other genes in the genome using the gene-chip based techniques of experimental genomics, and (3) study their roles in the species divergence by comparative analysis of related species. These efforts will advance the understanding of fundamental problems of gene evolution and phenotypic evolution. These studies will bring conceptual innovations in the understanding of biological systems. The applicants will also create new data and share with the public. Furthermore, the applicants will train undergraduate students, visiting students from other schools and different disciplines, to encourage more talented undergraduates to enter graduate schools and nurture cross-disciplinary investigation. The applicants will purposely initiate more collaborate with multiple research groups in various institutions both nationally and internationally. The knowledge on gene origination is important to the understanding of human evolution. The proposed project will be of general interest to the broad audience including scientists and non-scientists and the discoveries from this project will play a role in scientific education for the general public.