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Alaine Case Keebaugh
accase@emory.edu
Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Department of Population Biology, Ecology & Evolution
Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
Field of Interest: Comparative Genomics, Molecular Evolution & Population Genetics
“it has proven remarkably difficult to get compelling evidence for changes in enzymes brought about by natural selection, not to speak of adaptive changes…” —Lewontin
The field of molecular evolution has come a long way since Lewontin’s 1979 quote. We now have powerful computational tools that have increased our understanding of the interplay between various evolutionary forces and constraints. Development of comparative sequence analysis and phylogenetics allow function to be mapped to genealogy and provides a historical context. Protein homology modeling allows us to describe the function of a protein as it relates to its three-dimensional structure. Computers have become central to the field of molecular evolution, enabling research tools for discovery and exploration of the mechanisms underlying the complex biological phenomena of natural selection and expounding upon the view that molecular anatomy is just as important to understanding molecular adaptation as phylogeny and physical ecology. I am interested in using these techniques to better understand how genotype is translated into phenotype, particularly in the purine metabolic pathway.
While the purine metabolic pathway is comprised of ancient enzymatic functions, it has been modified repeatedly during vertebrate evolution by gene loss, gene duplication and the acquisition of new functions. The HPRT-gene family is one of eighteen gene families involved in purine metabolism. Initial findings indicate that the HPRT-gene family has undergone continuous modifications during vertebrate evolution and that these modifications may be signatures of functional adaptation. The goal of my research is to apply experimental and computational techniques to understand the structure-function relationship of the HPRT-gene family to gain insights into the process of adaptive evolution and to provide insights into some of the basic differences between vertebrate species.
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