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Selected Projects 2016-18
which are probably splice variants or have alternative
transcription start sites.
There is still much to do so I am continuing work
on this project this fall. This figure will be updated
to include some well-studied fish and re-rooted to
provide more accurate results. Some cichlid fish
are better understood in the evolution of fish, and
using these as references for our SIAT7 sequences
can provide me with some information on paralogs.
Once paralogs are completely identified, more
specific primers can be designed that will hopefully
yield consistent PCR results. Another approach
that will be taken is to align protein sequences.
Right now, the aligning that has been done has
used cDNA sequences.
From the work done this summer, I can say that
SIAT7 is found in symbiotic and non-symbiotic fish
that I studied, indicating that clownfish did not lose
SIAT7 as part of the evolution of symbiosis with sea
anemones. However, I detected evidence of gene duplication
which introduced paralogs. Going forward,
I seek to understand when these duplication events
occurred and if they are related to the clownfish-sea
anemone symbiosis. I am aiming to determine if the
evolution of paralogs in SIAT7 allowed anemonefish
to live symbiotically with anemones or if it is completely
unrelated.
The OUR summer research program has provided
me with an opportunity to continue with a long-term
research experience. I stepped out of my comfort
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Figure 3. PCR Results using primers designed for Amphirion clarkii (ACL) species and Amblyglyphidodon curacao (AmCu) species