Biology

Dr. Sreenivas Chavali
MRC LMB, Cambridge, UK

Life, in general, is affected by flow of information across space and time. The genetic information flow from the DNA not only influences its own replication but also determines the abundance and function of mRNAs and proteins, their interactions, and ultimately the phenotype(s). Therefore, alterations in sequence composition of the genetic material influences the phenotypic outcomes of a cell. In this context, continuous repeating sequences, referred as Tandem Repeats (TRs), in the genome constitute an important source of genetic variation. Importantly, TRs in the protein coding regions often result in repetitive stretches of identical amino acids, known as homorepeats. Proteins with amino acid homorepeats have the potential to be detrimental to cells and are often associated with human diseases. Why then are homorepeats prevalent in eukaryotic proteomes? Are these evolutionary errors or innovations? In my talk, I will discuss our findings on how homorepeats act as distinct functional modules that are often retained in stringently regulated proteins and how their presence facilitates rapid exploration of the genotype-phenotype landscape, thereby contributing to fitness.