I am interested in the effects of selection on protein structure and function, genomic forces such as gene conversion, the interplay of these forces on protein evolution and their impact on organisms. To address questions of gene family evolution and molecular adaptation in plants, I am using the heat shock response as a model system. The small heat shock proteins are the focus of my research. The heat shock response is highly conserved across all organisms. The presence of HSPs confers thermal tolerance.
Plants have at least five sHSP gene families which comprise a large multigene family.
The diversification of the sHSPs occurred sometime in green plant evolution. I am testing the hypothesis that the diversification of the sHSPs was coincident with the movement to land by examining the sHSPs in both algae and bryophytes. Research in my lab also includes an examination of the evolutionary dynamics of the sHSP genes in angiosperms. This project will include a detailed examination of the patterns and levels of genetic variation of heat shock proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana and some of its close relatives. The molecular evolution of the small heat shock proteins in plants.