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Experimental Approaches to Evaluate the Contributions of Candidate Cis-regulatory Mutations to Phenotypic Evolution

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Molecular Methods for Evolutionary Genetics

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 772))

Abstract

Elucidating the molecular bases by which phenotypic traits have evolved provides a glimpse into the past, allowing the characterization of genetic changes that cumulatively contribute to evolutionary innovations. Historically, much of the experimental attention has been focused on changes in protein-coding regions that can readily be identified by the genetic code for translating gene coding sequences into proteins. Resultantly, the role of noncoding sequences in trait evolution has remained more mysterious. In recent years, several studies have reached an unprecedented level of detail in describing how noncoding mutations in gene cis-regulatory elements contribute to morphological evolution. Based on these and other studies, we describe an experimental framework and some of the genetic and molecular methods to connect a particular cis-regulatory mutation to the evolution of any phenotypic trait.

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Acknowledgments

We are eternally grateful for the mentorship and nurturing research environment provided by Sean B. Carroll. This environment allowed us to delve into the functional basis for gene regulatory evolution that serves as the methodological foundation for this chapter. We thank Héloïse Dufour, Matt Rockman, and Virginie Orgogozo for critical comments on this chapter. Mark Rebeiz is supported by start-up funds from the University of Pittsburgh. Thomas Williams is supported by start-up funding from the Department of Biology at the University of Dayton and the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Mark Rebeiz

  2. Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA

    Thomas M. Williams

Authors
  1. Mark Rebeiz
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  2. Thomas M. Williams
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Correspondence to Thomas M. Williams .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. CNRS UMR7592, Université Paris VII, rue Hélène Brion 15, Paris, 75013, France

    Virginie Orgogozo

  2. Dept. Biology, New York University, Washington Square E. 100, New York, 10003-6688, New York, USA

    Matthew V. Rockman

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Rebeiz, M., Williams, T.M. (2012). Experimental Approaches to Evaluate the Contributions of Candidate Cis-regulatory Mutations to Phenotypic Evolution. In: Orgogozo, V., Rockman, M. (eds) Molecular Methods for Evolutionary Genetics. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 772. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-228-1_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-228-1_21

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-227-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-228-1

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