BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:DE NOVO PROTEINS: MYTH OR MYSTERY? - Erich Bornberg-Bauer\, The We
 stfalian Wilhelms University of Münster
DTSTART:20150520T131500Z
DTEND:20150520T141500Z
UID:TALK59432@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Lucy Colwell
DESCRIPTION:Organisms differ remarkably in their protein and gene content.
  Even in newly sequenced genomes for which high quality assemblies from cl
 osely related organisms exist\, between 10 and 30% of all predicted protei
 n coding genes seem to be new because they lack detectable similarity to a
 ny other species. Several case studies demonstrated that these enigmatic o
 rphan genes can contribute to lineage-specific adaptation and are often es
 sential for speciation -- but how do they arise in first place?\n\nWhile s
 ome genetic mechanisms\, such as creation of new ORFs\, frame\nshifts and 
 exonic exaptations can be well supported by comparative\ngenomic analysis\
 , a particularly puzzling paraoxon still awaits solution: from a biophysic
 al perspective\, novel proteins should not fold\, therefore not be functio
 nal and\, accordingly\, be immediately eliminated from the genome for thei
 r toxicity or their energetic burden at the least.\n\nWe try to resolve th
 is issue by using population data and cross-species genome comparisons fro
 m sticklebacks and insects.\nWe decipher the genetic origins of de-novo pr
 oteins and infer their possible adaptive benefits for development\, ecolog
 ical adaptation and speciation.\nWe currently establish computational and 
 experimental techniques to study the biophysical properties of de novo pro
 teins\, reconstruct their likely originating sequences and thus "catch the
 m in the act" of emergence.\n
LOCATION:Department of Chemistry\, Cambridge\, Pfizer lecture theatre
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR