研究领域

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Our lab focuses on understanding rapid genetic evolution and copy number variation. Genetic evolution occurs fast when selection and mutation are combined. Many important biological phenomena depend on rapid genetic evolution, such as a pathogen’s acquisition of antibiotic resistance and avoidance of host defenses. In general, this rapid evolution is central to biology and many aspects of medical science, including all infectious diseases and cancer. A major contributor to rapid genetic evolution is an elusive phenomenon called Copy Number Variation (CNV). CNVs are alterations of a genome that result in an abnormal number of copies of a section of DNA. Unlike point mutations, CNVs are extremely common genetic polymorphisms in all life forms, arising at rates several orders of magnitude higher than point mutations. For example, every human genome contains hundreds of CNVs, many being unique to each individual. Adjusting the copy number of any particular gene changes its expression and results in altered phenotypes, ranging from very subtle to extreme changes. Since CNVs form at very high rates and have phenotypes, they may be expected to play an important role in medicine and evolution. Indeed, in recent years, CNVs have been identified as causing an increasingly large number of human disorders including Alzheimer, Parkinson, autism, schizophrenia, and many other diseases. CNVs can also contribute to resistance and susceptibility to infections, modulate drug responses, and play a central role in oncogenesis and cancer progression. Furthermore, CNVs play a major role in driving the evolution of new genes. Still, the underlying mechanisms of CNVs remain unclear for all organisms. In order to study rapid evolution and copy number variation, our lab utilizes some of the most genetically tractable organisms: bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Acinetobacter. The projects are accessible to students at all levels and involve undergraduate and Masters students. Students are trained in important multidisciplinary areas that bridge classical and modern genetics with microbiology, molecular biology, population genetics, experimental evolution, statistics, and computation.