CAREER: Evolution and Genetic Control of Variation in Meiotic Recombination

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Meiosis gives rise to sperm and egg cells with precisely half the amount of DNA as other cells of the body. During meiosis, chromosomes with similar DNA sequence become physically joined and swap pieces of their DNA. This process is called recombination, and it produces new DNA combinations and can drive evolutionary change. Recombination also assures that the DNA is correctly partitioned into sperm and egg cells. Defects in recombination can result in sperm or eggs with too little or too much DNA. Such genetic errors can cause infertility, lead to miscarriage, and contribute to developmental disability in humans Both the frequency and the placement of recombination events along chromosomes are surprisingly variable between males and females, between individuals, and between species. This research program aims to identify the causes of natural variation in recombination. The discovered mechanisms of recombination variation may have general effects on fertility. Consequently, findings from this work could lead to the discovery of new targets for improving species of agricultural and economic importance as well as clinical tests for identifying patients with genetic mechanisms of infertility. This project will also benefit society by supporting a coordinated series of educational activities that will create new evolutionary genomics education and research opportunities in Maine. This project will combine evolutionary quantitative genomic methods and cytogenetic approaches to dissect the root causes of recombination rate variation in male and female individuals, and at the population and subspecies levels. The planned research will take advantage of established tools and resources in house mice (Mus musculus) to map genes that contribute to variation in recombination at multiple levels. The proposed experiments will test new hypotheses about the evolutionary forces that shape variation in recombination and will explore the relationship between recombination and fertility. These research activities will provide a platform for postdoctoral training and will synergize with substantial teaching, mentoring, and outreach efforts. Specifically, the proposed project will (1) develop new course content and materials to advance the state of genomics education in Maine high schools; (2) create mentored research opportunities for undergraduate students; and (3) support the PI’s development of a new graduate-level course in evolutionary and population genomics. Overall, this career development program will prepare an early-stage female investigator to make substantial life-long contributions to science through original research, mentoring, and education.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.