The origin of new genes can often occur in a sudden manner. This generates novel interactions between these new molecular entities and the cellular environment of the organism in which they are originated. This is what we call “unexpected molecular encounters” and “first-time molecular interactions”.

 

We think that these unexpected interactions are a key aspect of evolution, a common starting point for evolutionary change. However, we can only investigate those molecular encounters that were successful and survived, all the unexpected encounters that ended soon after they first happened, which are very likely the vast majority of cases, remain unexplored.

 

To overcome this, instead of studying naturally occurring events, in the lab we generate unexpected encounters artificially, by putting in contact molecular structures that had never interacted before. We focus on how new genes, such as new Transcription Factors (TFs) and genes exapted from Transposable Elements (TEs), can be newly integrated into an existing biological system. To that end, we use a variety of functional genomic approaches and developmental model systems such as zebrafish and flies.

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Our goal is to understand how new biological interactions are initially set at the time of origin of molecular innovations. This will allow us study the inherent capacities of biological molecular structures to interpret and read the information contained in other biological systems and shed light into how the identity of these systems is defined and changed over time.