Ryan Emerson

Joined Program: 2006
Previous Degree: B.S. Biochemistry & B.A. History, University of Washington
Thomas Lab
psimage [ a t ] u.washington.edu

Research:
My recent work in the Thomas lab has focused on characterization of the evolutionary history of the poly-zinc-finger gene family in vertebrates. We have discovered that this gene family has been under selective pressure to expand and diversify in a wide range of organisms by identifying recent gene expansion events in a wide range of species. We have found evidence for a plausible mechanism of gene family expansion using sequence analysis of poly-zf gene clusters, and we have identified the nature of the selective pressures acting on this gene family using comparative genomics and tools for the detection of adaptive evolution (mainly codeml software). This work has not yet been submitted for publication, though I am currently writing a manuscript and it will be shortly. I have recently begun a pilot project investigating human variation in poly-zf genes using the dbSNP database.