Queitsch, Christine

Wild-type phenotypes are remarkably robust to environmental and genetic variation, yet evolutionary novelty continues to arise. What are the molecular underpinnings of phenotypic robustness? How do novel shapes and functions evolve from a robust wild-type phenotype? Natural selection draws upon phenotypic variation among individuals. Although selection can only fix traits with an underlying genetic basis, phenotypic variance results from a complex interplay of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. We seek to identify and understand molecular mechanisms that have the potential to rapidly generate selectable phenotypic variation. Currently, we focus on Hsp90-mediated genetic capacitance and the phenotypic consequences of length variability polymorphisms in conserved Tandem Repeats (TR).