Developmental enhancers : ancient origins, neofunctionalization, and pleiotropy

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract
In this work, I present two studies of the evolution and function of developmental enhancers. In the first study, I describe the discovery of the first examples of cis-regulatory elements that are conserved across the two great clades of the bilaterian tree (deuterostomes and protostomes). These bilaterian conserved regulatory elements (Bicores) are developmental enhancers that respond to key signaling pathways and have been conserved for approximately 650 million years. In vertebrates, Bicores have neofunctionalized to drive expression in the central nervous system. In the second study, I present a genome-wide set of putative enhancers that function in the development of the mammalian neocortex. These elements, identified through ChIP-seq, are validated through both computational and experimental approaches. I show that many elements are anciently conserved beyond mammals, and we show that older elements are more likely to be pleiotropic. Pleiotropic elements most likely function in other aspects of central nervous system development, and elements that are conserved to zebrafish function in the developing zebrafish forebrain. I also provide evidence that specific repeat families have played a major role in the generation of enhancers that function in neocortex development. Finally, in the conclusion, I discuss how enhancer neofunctionalization and pleiotropy fit into a model of enhancer evolution and the evo-devo framework.

Description

Type of resource text
Form electronic; electronic resource; remote
Extent 1 online resource.
Publication date 2013
Issuance monographic
Language English

Creators/Contributors

Associated with Clarke, Shoa Long
Associated with Stanford University, Department of Genetics.
Primary advisor Bejerano, Gill, 1970-
Thesis advisor Bejerano, Gill, 1970-
Thesis advisor Bustamante, Carlos
Thesis advisor Fuller, Margaret
Thesis advisor Snyder, Michael, Ph. D
Advisor Bustamante, Carlos
Advisor Fuller, Margaret
Advisor Snyder, Michael, Ph. D

Subjects

Genre Theses

Bibliographic information

Statement of responsibility Shoa Long Clarke.
Note Submitted to the Department of Genetics.
Thesis Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2013.
Location electronic resource

Access conditions

Copyright
© 2013 by Lee Shoa Long Clarke
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).

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