The emergence of evolutionary novelties: testing genetic and environmental effects using the ciliate Paramecium

• Applicant: Dr. Francesco Catania
• Subject Area: Evolutionary Cell and Developmental Biology (Zoology) ; Evolution, Anthropology
• Term: from 2014 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 264304652

The elucidation of the processes that contribute to the emergence of evolutionary novelties is one of the greatest challenges facing biologists. We aim to enhance our understanding of these processes by undertaking a project wherein the biological features of the ciliate Paramecium are integrated with its peculiar genomic architecture. The focus of the project is on RNA and DNA splicing, which are excellent candidates for creating genetic variants. The inaccuracy of these processes generates distinct isoforms that, by occasionally affecting the phenotype, can become substrates of natural selection. Splicing events are influenced by patterns of DNA methylation, which are themselves susceptible to environmental variations. It follows that accounting for both the genomic and the surrounding environment is necessary to gain a complete understanding of the role of splicing in the emergence and establishment of functional genetic novelties.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants