DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Exploring the parallel evolution of duplicate sodium channel genes during the convergent evolution of electric organs in teleosts

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Why did an ancient duplicate copy of an important muscle gene evolve to become an integral part of a novel organ system used for electrical communication in two families of electric fishes? It is possible that this gene was less essential to muscle than the other duplicate copy of the gene, therefore making it ?easier? for it to evolve a new function in a new cell type. The investigators will measure the patterns of gene expression among several close relatives of the electric fish lineages to determine if expression of this gene changed before it gained a new function in electric fish. This project will also knock out the two genes individually in a close relative of electric fish to determine the relative impact on muscle function. This project will demonstrate how expression evolution may have facilitated functional evolution of this gene.Gene duplication is the primary source of new genes in a genome and is an important player in the evolution ofnovel cells and organ systems. This project seeks to ascertain the sequence of events that led to the evolution of a novel function for a duplicate gene which made it functionally distinct from the ancestral gene. This will provide insights into the molecular mechanisms behind gene evolution after duplication and how that relates to the evolution of novel organ systems. The project also provides research training to several undergraduate students, and the co-PI will promote findings of the project through a public website demonstrating evolution through simulations.