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Presenter: Meghana Kesavan

Group Members: Baaba Swanzy Essuman

Faculty Sponsor: Jessica Crowley

School: Quinsigamond Community College

Research Area: Genetics

Session: Poster Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM, Auditorium, A16

ABSTRACT

Multidrug Resistance Protein 4 (Mrp4) is an ATP‑Binding Cassette transporter gene found in the Drosophila fly species which works to move substrates across cell membranes. Expression of the Mrp4 gene has been linked to increased lifespans in flies due to its help in removing toxic foreign materials from the cell, protecting the organism from harmful chemicals, drugs, and oxidative stress. The conservation of this gene can differ among fly species, and by studying this variation, we can understand how the gene has evolved over time. Through the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP) Project, we compare this gene in the species D. willistoni and D. mojavensis to assess how it has evolved in relation to the reference genome, D. melanogaster. The Drosophila phylogenetic tree suggests that D. willistoni and D. mojavensis would have very different genomic characteristics compared to D. melanogaster, due to their distant evolutionary relationship. This initial hypothesis is tested by annotating the Mrp4 gene in the UCSC Genome Browser, where we identify the changes in its sequence and genomic neighborhood, and ultimately determine the extent to which the gene has diverged. The overall results from this analysis of the Mrp4 gene will contribute to the broader GEP Pathways Project by helping refine predictions about how signaling genes evolve.