Environmental factors affecting heritable mutation frequencies in vertibrates

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The overall goal of my research program is to understand processes that contribute to variance in the heritable (germline) mutation rates of vertebrates. I propose two major lines of investigation: (1) experimental induction of germline mutations in mice and development of new mutation markers for field and laboratory studies, and (2) quantification of germline mutation frequencies in natural populations of birds exposed to environmental contaminants. For part (1) I will study repetitive DNA sequence mutations in the germline of mice. My program will focus on characterizing mutation induction in the eggs of female mice caused by mutagen exposure, and developing laboratory techniques that will enable reliable quantification of mutation frequencies using the most up to date genetics equipment. These new markers will facilitate future studies of feral mice, a useful sentinel species for contaminant exposures. For part (2) of my program I will develop new genetic markers for detecting mutations in birds and apply these to quantify germline mutation rates in natural populations. I will focus on species that have large population sizes and broad geographic ranges, some of which will be used for basic studies of variance in mutation rates, and others as sentinels for the effects of toxic environmental agents. This approach will enable me to address questions regarding variance in germline mutation rates due to: (a) pollution exposure from a variety of sources, (b) genetic differences among populations, and (c) sensitivity differences among sentinel species.