Evolution of Photolyase DNA Repair Function in Vertebrates

The research in the Foulkes Lab is focused on the regulation of circadian rhythms and environmental effects on specific gene products. The project I will be contributing to aims to investigate the role of environment, specifically light, on the evolution of cryptochromes and photolyases. Photolyases are proteins that are involved in repairing DNA, and the proper functioning of photoreceptors and circadian clocks in the body. Using blind cavefish and medaka as a model, the group examines the loss of function mutations that have occurred in the species’ DNA over the course of millions of years living in perpetual darkness, and the implications of these mutations on the ability to repair DNA damage and manage the circadian clock. The goal of this project is to establish connections between the circadian clock and photolyase as well as develop an original method to identify non-light dependent DNA repair function under extreme conditions.

Faculty Supervisor:

Alison Duncan

Student:

Partner:

Karlsruher Institut für Technologie

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Guelph

Program: