Dunham, Maitreya

The Dunham Lab combines experimental evolution with genomic analysis and comparative functional genomics to study the structure and function of genetic networks in yeast. Cultures of yeast can be maintained for hundreds of generations of growth under a variety of selection pressures. During this time, more fit mutants appear and sweep through the culture. By comparing the "evolved" strains to the ancestral founders, we can study the adaptations selected over evolution, including growth phenotypes, cell morphology, global gene expression, and DNA copy number. Genetic dissection of the small number of mutations responsible for these many changes should allow us to recognize the rate limiting steps and control points regulating the cells' response to long-term, narrow selection.  These evolutionary mechanisms can be compared with those found within and between species.