A5024373014- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- RNA Research and Splicing
- RNA modifications and cancer
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Genetics and Plant Breeding
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Plant and animal studies
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Heat shock proteins research
- Plant biochemistry and biosynthesis
- Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Genetic and Environmental Crop Studies
- Steroid Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
- Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
- Studies on Chitinases and Chitosanases
- Genetics and Physical Performance
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
2013-2020
Instituto de Salud Carlos III
2011-2012
Fundación Pública Galega de Medicina Xenómica
2010-2012
Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
1986-2012
Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases
2008-2012
University of California, Irvine
1998-2011
University of Illinois Chicago
2010
Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago
2005
Misión Biológica de Galicia
2001-2003
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
2003
Research into the origins of introns is at a critical juncture in resolution theories on evolution early life (which came first, RNA or DNA?), identity LUCA (the last universal common ancestor, was it prokaryotic- eukaryotic-like?), and significance noncoding nucleotide variation. One notion that would have evolved as component an efficient mechanism for origin genes. But alternative emerged well. From debate between "introns-early" "introns-late" proposal arose before genetically encoded...
Gene duplication is a primary source of molecular substrate for the emergence evolutionary novelties. The chances redundant gene sequences to evolve new functions are small compared with probability that copies become disabled by deleterious mutations. Functional divergence after can result in two alternative fates: one copy acquires novel function (neofunctionalization), or each adopts part tasks their parental (subfunctionalization). relative prevalence outcome unknown. Similarly unknown...
Extreme climatic events can substantially affect organismal performance and Darwinian fitness. In April 2011, a strong heat wave struck extensive geographical areas of the world, including Western Europe. At that time, we happened to resume extend long-term time series seasonal genetic data in widespread fly Drosophila subobscura, which provided unique opportunity quantify intensity perturbation caused by wave. We show spring 2011 constitution populations transiently shifted summer-like...
Spinocerebellar ataxia 36 has been recently described in Japanese families as a new type of spinocerebellar with motor neuron signs. It is caused by GGCCTG repeat expansion intron 1 NOP56. Family interview and document research allowed us to reconstruct two extensive, multigenerational kindreds stemming from the same village (Costa da Morte Galicia, Spain), 17th century. We found presence mutation co-segregating disease these whom we had previously identified an ∼0.8 Mb linkage region...
There is presently a conflict between fossil- and molecular-based evolutionary time scales. Molecular approaches for dating the branches of tree life frequently lead to substantially deeper times divergence than those inferred by paleontologists. The discrepancy molecular fossil estimates persists despite booming growth sequence data sets, which increasingly feeds interpretation that are older stratigraphic dates because deficiencies in record. Here we show suffer from methodological...
Compositional changes are a major feature of genome evolution. Overlooking nucleotide composition differences among sequences can seriously mislead phylogenetic reconstructions. Large compositional variation exists the members family Drosophilidae. Until now, however, base have been largely neglected in formulations substitution process used to reconstruct phylogeny this important group species. The present study adopts maximum-likelihood framework inference order analyze five nuclear gene...
The neutrality theory predicts that the rate of neutral molecular evolution is constant over time, and thus there a clock for timing evolutionary events. It has been observed variance generally larger than expected according to theory, which raised question how reliable or, indeed, whether at all. We have carried out an extensive investigation three proteins, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), xanthine (XDH). ( i ) proteins evolve erratically through time...
We have analyzed the phylogenetic distribution of introns in gene coding for xanthine dehydrogenase 37 species, including 31 dipterans sequenced by us. discovered three narrowly distributed novel introns, one medfly Ceratitis capitata , second willistoni and saltans groups Drosophila third two sibling species group. The these favors “introns-late” theory origin genes. Analysis nucleotide sequences indicates that all arisen duplication a preexisting intron, which is pervasive other (and has...
Spliceosomal introns, a hallmark of eukaryotic gene organization, were an unexpected discovery. After three decades, crucial issues such as when and how introns first appeared in evolution remain unsettled. An issue yet to be answered is intron positions arise de novo. Phylogenetic investigations concur that continue emerge, at least some lineages. Yet genomic scans for the sources occupying new have been fruitless. Two alternative solutions this paradox are: (i) formation halted before...
Abstract We investigated the nucleotide composition of five genes, Xdh, Adh, Sod, Per, and 28SrRNA, in nine species Drosophila (subgenus Sophophora) one Scaptodrosophila. The six saltans group markedly differ from others GC content codon use bias. third position, to a lesser extent first position introns, is higher D. melanogaster obscura groups than (in Scaptodrosophila it intermediate but closer species). Differences are greater for Xdh which functionally more constrained. infer that rapid...
The 25-year-old debate about the origin of introns between proponents “introns early” and late” has yielded significant advances, yet important questions remain to be ascertained. One question concerns density in last common ancestor three multicellular kingdoms. Approaches this issue thus far have relied on counts numbers identical intron positions across present-day taxa assumption that at those sites are orthologous. However, dismissing parallel gain for may unwarranted, because various...
Study of the nucleotide composition in Drosophila, focusing on saltans and willistoni groups, has revealed unanticipated differences among lineages. Compositional are associated with an accelerated rate substitution functionally less constrained regions. These observations have been set forth against extended opinion that pattern point mutation remained constant during evolution genus. A crucial assumption most recent common ancestor subgenus Sophophora had elevated GC content. Until now,...
Lateral gene transfer (LGT) is a major evolutionary mechanism in prokaryotes. Knowledge about LGT— particularly, multicellular— eukaryotes has only recently started to accumulate. A widespread assumption sees the as unit of LGT, largely because little yet known how LGT chances are affected by structural/functional features at subgenic level. Here we trace trajectory VEin Patterning 1, novel family be essential for plant development and defense. At level VEP1 encodes dinucleotide-binding...
Drosophila subobscura has long been a central model in evolutionary genetics. Presently, its use is hindered by the lack of reference genome. To bridge this gap, here we used PacBio long-read technology, together with available wealth genetic marker information, to assemble and annotate high-quality nuclear complete mitochondrial genome for species. With obtained assembly, performed first synteny analysis structure evolution subgroup.We generated highly-contiguous ~ 129 Mb-long genome,...
Abstract Heat‐shock ( HS ) assays to understand the connection between standing inversion variation and evolutionary response climate change in Drosophila subobscura found that “warm‐climate” O 3+4 exhibits non‐ levels of Hsp70 protein like those “cold‐climate” ST after induction. This was unexpected, as overexpression can incur multiple fitness costs. To genetic basis this finding, we have determined genomic sequence organization family four different inversions, including , 3+4+8 3+4+16...