About
Fields of study
Evolutionary genetics and genomics, Biochemistry
Research Interests
I have a profound interest in molecular evolution. Among diverse topics of molecular evolution, I am particularly interested in the functional divergence of yeast alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH), mainly ADH1 and ADH2. These two enzymes catalyze the same reaction in opposite directions — ADH1 generates alcohol (presumably to kill bacteria), while ADH2 allows yeast to use alcohol as a carbon source. The yeast can adapt and regulate the ADH1-ADH2 system in response to selective pressure from the varying environments. Also, there is evidence suggesting the presence of intermediate ADHs during evolution, some of which may have disappeared over time. To clarify the evolutionary trajectory of ADHs, we are trying to create artificial ADHs based on sequences of ADH1 and ADH2, and then verify the biochemical functions of these ADHs. This project can shed light on the impact of gene duplication during evolution, providing valuable insights into the yeast evolution.
