Abstract DBI-9803921 Chi-hua Chiu This action funds an NSF/Alfred P. Sloan Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Molecular Evolution for 1998. These fellowships support studies involving the theoretical, comparative, computational, and/or experimental analyses of biological patterns and processes at the molecular level within the framework of organismic evolutionary change and adaptation. These studies also include the use of molecular data to address broader evolutionary questions. Each fellowship supports a research and training plan to be carried out in a sponsoring laboratory. The research and training plan for this fellowship is entitled evolution of Hoxa-11 regulation and the fin-limb transition. The Hoxa-11 gene is involved in fish fin and tetrapod limb development. The evolution of Hoxa-11 regulation is being analyzed by Hoxa-11 nucleotide sequence comparisons and gene expression studies. These studies will provide insights into some of the genetic factors responsible for the fin to limb transition.
