Expression of new genes in Drosophila and mammal spermatogenesis

• Grant number: 13/06117-7
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): May 01, 2013
• Effective date (End): February 28, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Maria Dulcetti Vibranovski
• Grantee: Júlia Beck Raices
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Genes that appeared recently in the evolutionary history of a taxonomic group are considered new genes, they can arise by exon recombination, transposons, lateral gene transfer, gene fission/fusion, DNA based duplications, retroposition, de novo origination or combinations of those mechanisms (Long et al., 2003). Although some of those new genes have a function, most of them become pseudogenes. However, when they turn to be functional, new genes can quickly convert to essential genes at different phases of the development of individuals of different species. In this way, new genes expressed during spermatogenesis - the system of male gamete development - must be related to fertility, mobility, form and function of the sperm cells. And, therefore, must be more expressed during the late phases of the gamete development, bearing in mind that expression relates to functionality. Hence, this scientific initiation project aims to test the hypothesis that there is a relation between a gene's age and its expression during spermatogenesis. To test this hypothesis it will be evaluated if there is a correlation among genes evolutionary ages and it's differential expressions in spermatogenesis phases in mammals and Drosophila. According to this hypothesis, it's expected that new genes are more frequently expressed during post-meiosis, the latest phase of gremlin development. To answer those questions, bioinformatics and computational biology tools will be used and proper statistical methods will be applied to correlate already available data of gene age and gene expression during spermatogenesis phases in Drosophila and mammals.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

RAICES, JULIA B.; OTTO, PAULO A.; VIBRANOVSKI, MARIA D. Haploid selection drives new gene male germline expression. Genome Research, v. 29, n. 7, p. 1115-1122, JUL 2019. Web of Science Citations: 0.