The evolution of RNA and the actin protein family

• Main Author: Keller, Thomas E.
• Other Authors: Bull, James J.
• Format: Others
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: mRNA; RNA; Evolution; High mutation rates; Actin phylogeny
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2152/30391

In my dissertation I have broadly studied the evolution of RNA as well as the phylogenetic history of the actin protein family. In the first chapter I examined how various evolutionary processes interact at high mutation rates, which led to simple prediction based on the strength of selection. In the second chapter, I tested mRNA secondary structure stability at the beginning of genes as a way of identifying whether putative genes might be functional or not. Finally, I reconstructed the phylogenetic history of the actin protein family in vertebrates, revealing that a novel isoform is actively evolving in contrast to the remaining protein isoforms.