Gene duplication is important for evolutionary innovation. When genes duplicate, the copies are identical at first but can evolve in different directions resulting in the evolution of new genes, new metabolic pathways and even new developmental pathways. We know genes duplicate often but we don?t fully understand the processes and mechanisms that drive independent evolution of duplicate genes. Co-PI Duncan and PI Wilson will test among different hypotheses of how duplicated genes evolve by examining the evolutionary trajectory of several gene copies following duplication. Their research will focus on the citrus mealybug, a sap-feeding insect that underwent extensive duplication in genes that transport amino acids, nutrients that are essential for normal cellular function in all organisms. The PIs will compare expression and amino acids transported between three types of amino acid transporters: (1) duplicated mealybug transporters, (2) related single-copy transporters in other insects, and (3) the extinct mealybug transporter that Duncan and Wilson will synthetically resurrect. Further, Duncan and Wilson will use computer programs to test the role of natural selection during the evolution of duplicated amino acid transporters in the mealybug.
This project will establish which evolutionary and molecular mechanisms are most important in the evolution of duplicated amino acid transporters in the citrus mealybug. The results will contribute to our general understanding of the importance of different mechanisms in the evolution of gene copies following gene duplication, and thus the role these mechanisms play in driving evolutionary innovation across the tree of life. Further, amino acid transporters are essential for survival, so this research could identify potential targets for controlling populations of the citrus mealybug, a pest of citrus and other commercially important plants. By providing opportunities for University of Miami undergraduates to conduct research in a lab setting under the mentorship of co-PI Duncan, this project will advance discovery and learning. Undergraduates at the University of Miami are culturally and ethnically diverse, providing research opportunities for undergraduates underrepresented in the biological sciences. Finally, Duncan and Wilson will share their findings with the general public in a Department of Biology open house that co-PI Duncan will organize during the University of Miami Alumni Week.
