The Adaptive Evolution Database: A Database of Phylogenetically-Indexed Gene Families

University Of Wyoming, Laramie WY

Investigators

Abstract

The University of Wyoming has been awarded a grant to develop a database characterizing the evolution of Chordate gene families. To establish the database, several new computational approaches will be developed. These approaches include model-based methods for tracing the history of duplication and loss events in gene families through the evolution of species as well as methods describing the evolution of protein sequences given the thermodynamic constraints of protein structures. The new approaches coupled to the database as a resource for the biological community promise to offer new insights into Chordate evolution. The broader impacts include training in bioinformatics for researchers, Ph.D. students, and undergraduate students at the interface of molecular biology and mathematics. The database itself will be used as a teaching tool for bioinformatics instruction.