Transposable elements (TEs) are DNA sequences capable of self-replication and mobility that often account for a substantial fraction of eukaryotic genomes. Despite their parasitic nature, it is now well documented that on many occasions the genes encoded by TEs, which normally facilitate their own propagation, have been "domesticated" to serve host cellular functions. The proposed work will test the general hypothesis that transposases are an opportune source of regulatory protein domains coopted because of their ancestral cellular interactions to build new genetic systems underlying developmental innovation and fostering organismal evolution. The PI will provide undergraduates, including minorities and first generation college students, with their first exposure to STEM research. The research and collaborations will guarantee that this functional genomics project will train rising scientists (graduate students and a postdoc) in cutting edge functional genomics technologies and data analysis.
The majority of domesticated TE genes known in a variety of organisms are derived from the transposase encoded by DNA transposons. The power of Drosophila genetics and genomics will be harnessed to begin the elucidation of the biological function of four likely independent domesticated transposase genes (DPLG1-4) and a set of proteins (MADFs) that are hypothesize to derive from the same TE superfamily. These are highly conserved in the Drosophila genus and are derived from the same superfamily of DNA transposons (PIF/Harbinger) .
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
