Effects of environmental contamination on gene copy number variation: Molecular b

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Recent studies indicate copy number variation accounts for the majority of the genetic variation observed in the human populations and have uncovered strong associations between copy number variation (CNV) and disease, including complex phenotypes. However, the environmental contributions to CNV remain unknown, in part because the magnitude of CNV has only been realized with the growing number of fully sequenced genomes and because there are few animal models available for environmental genomics studies, which seek to understand how genome structure and function evolve in response to environmental change. Accordingly, our proposal employs studies using the recently added and ideal NIH model organism, Daphnia, to test the central hypothesis that exposure to environmental contaminants increase the rate of mutations giving rise to CNV, and that this variation has functional consequences on gene expression, phenotype, and fitness and population structure. Mutation accumulation (MA) lines derived in the absence and presence of cadmium will be used to define the spectra of CNV and measure the per generation rate at which they spontaneously arise in individuals. Three independently replicated, cadmium-adapted populations will be surveyed for CNV, gene- expression assessed, and fitness assayed to characterize the magnitude, distribution, functional consequences, and evolutionary path of CNV. Finally, quantitative trait loci experiments will be conducted to determine the functional significance of CNV by establishing cause and effect relationships between copy number variants and phenotype. Collectively, these studies will quantitatively assess whether environmental exposure affects the risk for spontaneous CNV, and do so in context of their contributions to individual health parameters that influence tolerance (i.e., adaptation, susceptibility) and disease. Answers to these questions have profound implications for the long-term health of human populations that are living longer and doing so in increasingly mutagenic environments. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Recent studies indicate copy number variation accounts for the majority of the genetic variation observed in the human populations and have uncovered strong associations between copy number variation (CNV) and disease, including complex phenotypes. These studies will quantitatively assess whether environmental exposure affects the risk for spontaneous CNV, and do so in context of their contributions to individual health parameters that influence tolerance (i.e., adaptation, susceptibility) and disease. Answers to these questions have profound implications for the long-term health of human populations that are living longer and doing so in increasingly mutagenic environments.