Katrina Claw
Research: Evolution and proteomics of primate seminal fluid Reproductive proteins evolve rapidly, and it has been hypothesized that post-copulatory sexual selection (PCSS) (i.e. sperm competition) is one of the main driving forces behind this. In primates, many studies have found correlations between morphological variation and various measures of PCSS (mating systems, size dimorphism, etc.), but there is still not conclusive evidence of such associations at the molecular level. Most molecular studies to date are inconclusive and have focused on single gene or small subsets of genes to make their correlations. Instead, we propose to use the entire seminal fluid proteome to look at molecular correlations with PCSS. By using shotgun proteomics, we can also identify a large proportion of previously uncharacterized seminal fluid proteins (Sfps) in other primate species, and vastly increase the Sfp gene repertoire. We will also be able to calculate the relative protein abundances of Sfps in each sample. We hypothesize that Sfps evolve faster on multi-male mating (where females mate with multiple males during a single estrous period) lineages and slower on uni-male mating lineages. In addition, by studying the evolution of Sfps and incorporating protein abundance data, we expect to find genes important for PCSS. To date, I have confirmed that primate Sfps are evolving much more rapidly than the genome-wide average and have used Bayesian methods to make correlations between Sfp evolutionary rates and PCSS. I have also used shotgun proteomics to identify and characterize the relative protein abundance of Sfps from 8 diverse primate lineages with varying mating systems.
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Joined Program: 2008