Evolution and Regulation of a Simple Metabolic Network

Model systems, such as drosophila, are invaluable tools in explaining the basic genetics and biochemistry of other, less easily manipulated, species.  An often unaddressed question, however, is the consistency in interactions between species and conditions.  In addition to quantifying the interactions among members of the NADP(H) network under benign conditions, my lab is quantifying these same interactions in flies under oxidative stress.   Oxidative stress was chosen because of the role of NADPH in combatting this stressor.

Transvection: Inter-Allelic Gene Regulation

Regulatory elements on homologous chromosomes have been shown to interact to regulate gene expression in a number of species and loci.  My lab studies this regulation using engineered alleles for various metabolic enzymes following both protein activity and gene expression.  This study promises to further understanding of gene regulation, the genomic architecture of regulatory regions as well as the an interesting twist in the genotype-phenotype connection.