Mutation Selection on the Metabolic Pathway and the Effects on Protein Co-evolution and the Rate Limiting Steps on the Tree of Life

Author

Katherine S. Porter, Ursinus CollegeFollow

Submission Date

7-21-2016

Document Type

Paper

Department

Mathematics

Second Department

Biology

Faculty Mentor

Peter Chi

Second Faculty Mentor

David Liberles (Temple University)

Comments

Presented during the 18th Annual Summer Fellows Symposium, July 22, 2016 at Ursinus College.

Supported by the Temple University Center for Computational Genetics and Genomics.

Project Description

Metabolic pathways are made of a series of reactions by enzymes at different speeds. These pathways include the rate limiting step, which is the slowest step that determines the rate of the overall reaction. To date, one study has examined the pathway of glycolysis and found no evidence of evolutionary stability of its rate limiting step. In addition, phylogenetic evidence has shown evolution in the pathway over time including gene duplication and positive selection within the pathway. This evidence suggests that there is coevolutionary selection on glycolysis. The evidence from this previous study is simulation-based. The Michaelis-Menten kinetics that describe metabolic pathways can be studied directly from a graphical perspective. This research project shows solutions to the set of nonlinear system of differential equations through graphical solutions. Specifically, the graphical solutions will be expressed through design space plots that compensate for the multiple parameters.

Recommended Citation

Porter, Katherine S., "Mutation Selection on the Metabolic Pathway and the Effects on Protein Co-evolution and the Rate Limiting Steps on the Tree of Life" (2016). Mathematics Summer Fellows. 4.
https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/math_sum/4