Dosage constraints and the evolution of gene copy number and gene expression

For a subset of genes in our genome a change in gene dosage, by duplication or deletion, causes a phenotypic effect. These dosage-sensitive genes may confer an advantage upon copy number change, but more typically they are associated with disease, including heart disease, cancers and neuropsychiatric disorders. This gene copy number sensitivity creates characteristic evolutionary constraints that can serve as a diagnostic to identify dosage-sensitive genes. We will look at how these constraints manifest in terms of evolution by gene duplication and loss, and how this relates to human population genetic variation in the form of copy number variation (CNV). The impact of gene dosage sensitivity on the evolution of gene expression is less clear, and will also be explored in this talk.

The seminar will be hosted using Zoom. A Google calendar invite featuring the Zoom link will be sent to Biology staff and students before the seminar date. For all enquiries please contact Biology DMT Hub.