Image credit: Dr Adria LeBoeuf

Evolution's pharmacology: Deep orthology of socially transferred proteins

Supervisor: Dr Adria LeBoeuf

Socially transferred materials (milk, egg, ejaculate, regurgitate) are made up of diverse molecular components, some of which can have similar molecular functions, even in completely different social transfers and across taxa. Even across distant taxa and across types of social transfers, molecular commonalities can be observed (Hakala et al 2023).

To understand if there is a common molecular toolkit for socially transferred materials, this project will use cutting-edge orthology methods and existing proteomics data across diverse social transfers to find protein families that repeatedly get coopted into socially transferred materials. Further, we will work to understand what brings about proteomic variation in socially transferred materials using diversity measures and functional diversity approaches typically applied to ecosystems. The student will investigate patterns of variation that build up the observed diversity in social fluids. 

Type of work

The work will be primarily computational, with a sprinkling of proteomics if/where needed.

Importance of the area of research concerned

Socially transferred materials are typically essential for life. Our findings in this project may provide useful routes for drug delivery (e.g. functional or bioactive foods). 

References 

Hakala SM, Fujioka H, Gapp K, De Gasperin O, Genzoni E, Kilner RM, Koene JM, König B, Linksvayer TA, Meurville MP, Negroni MA, Palejowski H, Wigby S, LeBoeuf AC. 2023. Socially transferred materials: why and how to study them. Trends Ecol Evol doi:10.1016/j.tree.2022.11.010

Hakala SM, Meurville MP, Stumpe M, Leboeuf AC. 2021. Biomarkers in a socially exchanged fluid reflect colony maturity, behavior, and distributed metabolism. Elife 10. doi:10.7554/eLife.74005

Pimiento C., Leprieur F, Silvestro D, Lefcheck JS, Albouy C, Rasher DB, Davis M, Svenning JC, Griffin JN. 2020. Functional diversity of marine megafauna in the Anthropocene. Sci Adv 6. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aay7650

Gotelli NJ, Ellison AM, Ballif BA. Environmental proteomics, biodiversity statistics and food-web structure. Trends Ecol Evol. 2012 Aug;27(8):436-42. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2012.03.001. Epub 2012 Mar 27. PMID: 22459246; PMCID: PMC3392467.