Modeling the Evolution of Gene Regulatory Modules for Complex Traits

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is awarded a grant to advance the understanding of the evolution of complex traits, such as the development of multi-cellular body plans or an organism's social behavior. The PI will use the analysis of brain plasticity and social behavior as test-bed questions to build and test quantitative genomic models for the evolution of complex traits. Brain plasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections as a result of experience. The project will test the hypothesis that genetic pathways that mediate brain plasticity are enriched in conserved gene regulatory modules in brain tissues across species, by developing novel analytical models and computational tools for modeling the evolution of gene regulatory modules. The first model is an evolutionary model for genetic modules, which can be applied to identify conserved as well as species-specific genetic modules using and gene expression data in multiple species and phylogenetic distances. The second model can be applied to analyze the transcription networks implemented in related species with a conserved phenotype. The regulatory relationships between an orthologous set of TFs and target genes will be simultaneously modeled and identified in all the species under consideration. Both sequence data and gene expression data, when available, will be modeled. This project will deliver two software tools for integrated comparative analysis of genome and transcriptome data. by These software tools will be hosted on a dedicated server (http://sysbio.bioen.uiuc.edu/grn.htm) and made available to the entire research community through user-friendly web applications. The project will include the participation of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students, and the software will be used in a hands-on course taught by the investigator at a bioinformatics camp for young women.