Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Molecular Biology Seminar Series

Patricia Wittkopp
University of Michigan,
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology,
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

“Evolution of gene expression: from mutation to polymorphism to divergence.”

Friday, January 19, 2018
12:00 noon
RRI 101

Abstract: Genetic variation segregating within a species reflects the combined activities of mutation, selection, and genetic drift. In the absence of selection, polymorphisms are expected to be a random subset of new mutations; thus, comparing the effects of polymorphisms and new mutations provides a test for selection. When evidence of selection exists, such comparisons can identify properties of mutations that are most likely to persist in natural populations. We have been investigating how mutation and selection contribute to variation in cis- and trans-regulatory sequences controlling gene expression by empirically determining the effects of new mutations and polymorphisms inSaccharomyces cerevisiae. The latest findings from this work, including empirical measures of the relationship between changes in gene expression, expression noise, and fitness, will be presented and discussed.

Host: Ian Ehrenreich

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