Computational Evolutionary Analysis of Gene Duplications

nce a gene is duplicated there are usually three consequences with respect to gene function; (i) neofunctionalization; (ii) non-functionalization; (iii) sub-functionalization. It is possible to reveal which scenario occurred with phylogenetic studies. This project aims to identify all of these events for the human genome. Students will retrieve homologous genes, generate multiple sequence alignments and build phylogenetic trees. They will also implement an algorithm or tool to identify which one of the cases occurred. Identifying the evolutionary events will shed light on protein function and this information is relevant in basic science and biomedical applications, specifically in the single amino acid substitution assessment.