CAREER: Paralog function following rapid gene family expansion in Candida albicans

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This project seeks to determine how multiple genes that all arose recently from a single gene establish their function when other copies of that gene are present. Nearly all genes in every organism on the planet arose from previously existing genes and not from DNA that lacked function. As this process repeats, a large set of highly similar genes can form a gene family that often give an organism certain advantages in adapting to its specific lifestyle. For example, yeasts used in brewing have expanded gene families for fermentation and humans have expanded genes for being able to distinguish between good and rotten food. A gene family in the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans called the telomere-associated (TLO) gene family has expanded from 1 to 14 copies and is an ideal system to test how functions of individual members of gene families are shaped by the presence of many genetically and functionally similar genes. This project will generate large datasets and highlights the needs for people to be trained in analysis. This project will therefore also train Indigenous students in bioinformatics through a summer workshop to promote data sovereignty and Indigenous research capacity. This project will begin to address the concept of Ohno’s Dilemma in a large gene family, how function evolves when multiple other similar genes are present. We will use the TLO genes from C. albicans to find how each gene holds individual or overlapping functions with other genes in the gene family. Molecular and organismal functions will be determined for these genes using strains missing single genes of the gene family and strains lacking all TLO genes except for one. Strains lacking single genes will define the amount of overlap in gene functions, and strains containing single genes will determine the range of function for each gene.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.