Intellectual Merits: One of the central issues in the evolutionary field is to understand the impact of duplicate genes on evolution. The proposed research will contribute to this understanding by demonstrating how gene duplication contributes to metabolic innovation and specifically to aerobic fermentation in yeast. The research builds on a kinetic modeling framework to investigate how gene duplication contributed to the evolution of novel metabolic functions. One aspect of the research will explore also the evolutionary connection of gene duplication and novel gene regulatory mechanisms and how these contribute to cellular metabolic innovation.
Broader Impacts: This research will have important broader impacts. It will train students, including graduate, undergraduate and high school students. The PI is involved in multiple activities to include minority students with the hope to encourage and support a diverse next generation of evolutionary scientists. Aerobic fermentation in yeast has broader implication for agricultural and industrial industries. The link between nutrition and evolution itself represents an attractive case study for the edcuation of the public on the subject of evolution.
