ERC Starting Grant · 2021
Unravelling the Evolution of Complexes with Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction
Almost all proteins perform their functions as part of protein complexes. These assemblies are intricate and often beautiful examples of evolution?s capacity to generate complexity. But are they built by natural selection? My recent work has revealed that they may in fact be produced and maintained across vast time scales by neutral processes, even if they provide no adaptive benefit at all. In this proposal, I will test this radical idea by bringing together ancestral sequence reconstruction and quantitative biochemistry of protein complexes. I will use this approach to experimentally unravel the evolutionary processes that generate and maintain biochemical complexity in three model…
From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.