Author

J. W. Thornton

Listed by name: these papers carry no ORCID for this author, so different people with the same name may be mixed together.

Biology Disciplines

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Evolutionary Biology· 5 Biochemistry· 1

Signature Assays, Organisms & Methods

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Research Focus:chromatin & epigenetic regulation· 4 Approach:experimental assay· 4 Research Focus:protein folding & dynamics· 4 Assay:protein sequence· 3 Approach:statistical model· 3 Approach:biophysical modeling· 2 Research Focus:cell type annotation· 2 Assay:protein structure· 2

Frequent Co-Authors

T. N. Starr· 2 shared Y. Park· 2 shared A. Venkat· 1 shared B. Dickinson· 1 shared B. P. H. Metzger· 1 shared B. P. Metzger· 1 shared C. D. Okafor· 1 shared D. Hercules· 1 shared

Activity by Year

2018-2023 · peak 3/yr

Co-Author Collaboration Network

10 top collaborators · 8 mutual co-author links

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2 shared papersEvolutionary Biology

T. N. Starr

Mutual co-authors in cluster

Author profile →

6 papers

Recent·Most cited

Epistasis facilitates functional evolution in an ancient transcription factor

B. P. Metzger, Y. Park, T. N. Starr, J. W. Thornton

This study uses combinatorial DMS to analyze the genetic architecture of DNA recognition by an ancient transcription factor, showing that pairwise epistasis enables functional evolution by expanding sequence space for new specificity.

bioRxiv · Apr 19, 2023Evolutionary Biology

Evolutionary tuning of a key helix drove androgen selectivity

C. D. Okafor, J. K. Colucci, M. L. Cato, S. H. Khan, K. Cottrill, D. Hercules, G. Eick, J. W. Thornton, E. A. Ortlund

The paper investigates how evolutionary changes in helix 10 of androgen receptors drove ligand selectivity by analyzing ancestral proteins and biophysical mechanisms.

bioRxiv · Jul 21, 2021 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology

Contingency and chance erase necessity in the experimental evolution of ancestral proteins

V. C. Xie, J. Pu, B. P. H. Metzger, J. W. Thornton, B. Dickinson

This study shows that contingency and chance dominate over necessity in shaping protein sequence variation over long evolutionary timescales.

bioRxiv · Aug 29, 2020 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology

A new family of neural wiring receptors across bilaterians defined by phylogenetic, biochemical and structural evidence

S. Cheng, Y. Park, J. D. Kurleto, M. Jeon, K. Zinn, J. W. Thornton, E. Özkan

The paper identifies Dprs and DIPs as part of an ancient bilaterian receptor family involved in neural wiring, supported by phylogenetic, biochemical, and structural evidence.

bioRxiv · Nov 5, 2018Biochemistry

Multinucleotide mutations cause false inferences of lineage-specific positive selection

A. Venkat, M. W. Hahn, J. W. Thornton

The paper shows that multinucleotide mutations can falsely indicate positive selection in phylogenetic tests, suggesting many published findings may be artifacts.

bioRxiv · Apr 24, 2018Evolutionary Biology

Pervasive contingency and entrenchment in a billion years of Hsp90 evolution

T. N. Starr, J. M. Flynn, P. Mishra, D. N. A. Bolon, J. W. Thornton

The paper measures the fitness effects of historical amino acid substitutions in Hsp90 across evolutionary timescales, finding pervasive epistasis influencing sequence evolution and entrenchment.

bioRxiv · Jan 14, 2018Evolutionary Biology