A5085882534- Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
- Ichthyology and Marine Biology
- Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
- Congenital heart defects research
- Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities
- MicroRNA in disease regulation
- Aquatic life and conservation
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Fish biology, ecology, and behavior
- Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research
- Circular RNAs in diseases
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Fish Biology and Ecology Studies
- interferon and immune responses
- Zebrafish Biomedical Research Applications
- Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Animal Genetics and Reproduction
- CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Retinal Development and Disorders
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Congenital limb and hand anomalies
- Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases
University of Konstanz
2015-2024
University of Geneva
2009-2021
Leiden University
2006-2009
Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research
2003-2007
Seahorses have a specialized morphology that includes toothless tubular mouth, body covered with bony plates, male brood pouch, and the absence of caudal pelvic fins. Here we report sequencing de novo assembly genome tiger tail seahorse, Hippocampus comes. Comparative genomic analysis identifies higher protein nucleotide evolutionary rates in H. comes compared other teleost fish genomes. We identified an astacin metalloprotease gene family has undergone expansion is highly expressed pouch....
Abstract Sturgeons seem to be frozen in time. The archaic characteristics of this ancient fish lineage place it a key phylogenetic position at the base ~30,000 modern teleost species. Moreover, sturgeons are notoriously polyploid, providing unique opportunities investigate evolution polyploid genomes. We assembled high-quality chromosome-level reference genome for sterlet, Acipenser ruthenus . Our analysis revealed very low protein rate that is least as slow other deep branches vertebrate...
Abstract Lungfishes belong to lobe-fined fish (Sarcopterygii) that, in the Devonian period, ‘conquered’ land and ultimately gave rise all vertebrates, including humans 1–3 . Here we determine chromosome-quality genome of Australian lungfish ( Neoceratodus forsteri ), which is known have largest any animal. The vast size this genome, about 14× larger than that humans, attributable mostly huge intergenic regions introns with high repeat content (around 90%), components resemble those tetrapods...
BackgroundThe Hox genes are involved in patterning the anterior-posterior axis. In addition to protein coding genes, miR-10, miR-196 and miR-615 families of microRNA conserved within vertebrate clusters. The members miR-10 family located at positions associated with Hox-4 paralogues. No function is yet known for this but genomic its suggest a role patterning.Methodology/Principal FindingsUsing sensor constructs, overexpression morpholino knockdown, we show Zebrafish that targets HoxB1a...
The color patterns of African cichlid fishes provide notable examples phenotypic convergence. Across the more than 1200 East rift lake species, melanic horizontal stripes have evolved numerous times. We discovered that regulatory changes gene agouti-related peptide 2 (agrp2) act as molecular switches controlling this evolutionarily labile phenotype. Reduced agrp2 expression is convergently associated with presence stripe across species flocks. However, cis-regulatory mutations are not...
During development, expression of the Hoxa and Hoxd genes in zebrafish fins mouse limbs are regulated via a conserved chromatin structure. However, lack certain regulatory elements required to produce digits, revealing that radials—the fin's bony elements—are likely not homologous tetrapod digits.
During vertebrate limb development, Hoxd genes are regulated following a bimodal strategy involving two topologically associating domains (TADs) located on either side of the gene cluster. These regulatory landscapes alternatively control different subsets targets, first into arm and subsequently digits. We studied transition between these global regulations, switch that correlates with positioning wrist, which articulates main segments. show HOX13 proteins themselves help off telomeric TAD,...
Patterning of the vertebrate skeleton requires coordinated activity Hox genes. In particular, Hox10 proteins are essential to set transition from thoracic lumbar vertebrae because their rib-repressing activity. snakes, however, region extends well into Hox10-expressing areas embryo, suggesting that these unable block rib formation. Here, we show this is not a result loss properties by snake proteins, but rather single base pair change in Hox/Paired box (Pax)-responsive enhancer, which...
Midas cichlid fish are a Central American species flock containing 13 described that has been dated to only few thousand years old, historical timescale infrequently associated with speciation. Their radiation involved the colonization of several clear water crater lakes from two turbid great lakes. Therefore, cichlids have subjected widely varying photic conditions during their radiation. Being primary signal relay for information environment organism, visual system is under continuing...
The Hox clusters play a crucial role in body patterning during animal development. They encode both transcription factor and micro-RNA genes that are activated precise temporal spatial sequence follows their chromosomal order. These remarkable collinear properties confer functional unit status for clusters. We developed the TranscriptView platform to establish high resolution transcriptional profiling report here is far more complex than previously described human mouse. Unannotated...
The elongated, snake-like skeleton, as it has convergently evolved in numerous reptilian and amphibian lineages, is from a developmental biologist's point of view amongst the most fascinating anatomical peculiarities animal kingdom. This type body plan characterized by greatly increased number vertebrae, reduction skeletal regionalization along primary axis loss limbs. Recent studies conducted on both mouse snakes now hint at how changes inside gene regulatory circuitries Hox genes...
The experimental approach to the evolution and development of vertebrate skeleton has a large extent relied on "direct-developing" amniote model organisms, such as mouse chicken. These organisms can however only be partially informative where it concerns secondarily lost features or anatomical novelties not present in their lineages. widely used anamniotes Xenopus zebrafish are "indirect-developing" that proceed through an extended time free-living larvae, before adopting many aspects adult...
How the hand and digits originated from fish fins during Devonian fin-to-limb transition remains unsolved. Controversy in this conundrum stems scarcity of ontogenetic data extant lobe-finned fishes. We report patterning an autopod-like domain by hoxa13 fin development Australian lungfish, most closely related relative tetrapods. Differences tetrapod limbs include absence digit-specific expansion hoxd13 hand2 distal limitation alx4 pax9, which potentially evolved through enhanced response to...
Abstract Cichlid fishes provide textbook examples of explosive phenotypic diversification and sympatric speciation, thereby making them ideal systems for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying rapid lineage divergence. Despite fact that gene regulation provides a critical link between in function many genomic regulatory such as microRNAs (miRNAs) have received little attention these rapidly diversifying groups. Therefore, we investigated posttranscriptional role miRNAs repeated...
With over 18,000 species, the
During tetrapod limb development, the HOXA13 and HOXD13 transcription factors are critical for emergence organization of autopod, most distal aspect where digits will develop. Since previous work had suggested that Dbx2 gene is a target these factors, we set up to analyze in detail this potential regulatory interaction.We show HOX13 proteins bind mammalian-specific sequences at vicinity locus have enhancer activity developing digits. However, functional inactivation DBX2 protein did not...
slug gene expression is associated with the specification and migration of neural crest cells in African clawed frog Xenopus laevis. We provide evidence that protein Ying-Yang 1 (YY1) regulates both indirectly directly, via a YY1 cis-element promoter, during development. The ability to bind this was confirmed by electromobility shift assays reporter assays. detected nuclei ectodermal contemporaneously process specification. injection anti-YY1 morpholino, which targeted YY1alpha YY1beta...
Evolutionary novelties-derived traits without clear homology found in the ancestors of a lineage-may promote ecological specialization and facilitate adaptive radiations. Examples for such novelties include wings bats, pharyngeal jaws cichlids flowers angiosperms. Belonoid fishes (flying fishes, halfbeaks needlefishes) feature an astonishing diversity extremely elongated jaw phenotypes with undetermined evolutionary origins. We investigate development halfbeak (Dermogenys pusilla) needlefish...