A5003162697- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Plant and animal studies
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
- Plant Virus Research Studies
- Genetic Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in Insects
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- RNA Research and Splicing
- Study of Mite Species
University of Lausanne
2017-2025
Bangor University
2021-2025
SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
2018-2022
University of St Andrews
2010-2020
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
2013-2020
Zero to Three
2019
University of Jyväskylä
2015-2018
University of Illinois System
2018
Parker Hannifin (United States)
2018
Wollongong Hospital
2013
Adaptive evolution occurs when fitness covaries with genetic merit for a trait (or traits). The breeder's equation (BE), in both its univariate and multivariate forms, allows us to predict this process by combining estimates of selection on phenotype (co)variation. However, predictions are only valid if all factors causal trait-fitness covariance measured. Although requirement will rarely (if ever) be met practice, it can avoided applying Robertson's secondary theorem (STS). STS predicts...
Testing for conserved and novel mechanisms underlying phenotypic evolution requires a diversity of genomes available comparison spanning multiple independent lineages. For example, complex social behavior in insects has been investigated primarily with eusocial lineages, nearly all which are Hymenoptera. If genomic influences on sociality do exist, we need data from wider range taxa that also vary their levels sociality. Here, present the assembled annotated genome subsocial beetle...
Although major genetic networks controlling early liver specification and morphogenesis are known, the mechanisms responsible for postnatal hepatic maturation poorly understood. Here we employ global analyses of mouse transcriptome to demonstrate that remodelling is accompanied by large-scale transcriptional post-transcriptional transitions cell-type-specific temporally coordinated. Combining detailed expression with gain- loss-of-function studies, identify epithelial splicing regulatory...
Metagenomic studies are leading to the discovery of a hidden diversity RNA viruses. These new viruses poorly characterized and approaches needed predict host species these pose risk to. The rhabdoviruses diverse family that includes important pathogens humans, animals, plants. We have discovered thirty-two through combination our own sequencing insects searching public sequence databases. Combining with previously known sequences we reconstructed phylogeny 195 rhabdovirus sequences, produced...
Centromeres are essential for chromosome segregation in eukaryotes, yet their specification is unexpectedly diverse among species and can involve major transitions such as those from localized to chromosome-wide centromeres between monocentric holocentric species. How this diversity evolves remains elusive. We discovered within-cell variation the recruitment of centromere protein CenH3, reminiscent typically observed While CenH3-containing nucleosomes distributed a fashion on autosomes bind...
Abstract Parenting in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides is complex and, unusually, sex and number of parents that can be present flexible. Such flexibility expected to involve specialized behaviour by two sexes under biparental conditions. Here, we show offspring fare equally well regardless or present. Comparing transcriptomes, find a largely overlapping set differentially expressed genes both uniparental females males including vitellogenin , associated with reproduction, takeout...
Recombination is a fundamental process with significant impacts on genome evolution. Predicted consequences of the loss recombination include reduced effectiveness selection, changes in amount neutral polymorphisms segregating populations, and an arrest GC-biased gene conversion. Although these are empirically well documented for nonrecombining portions, it remains largely unknown if they extend to whole scale asexual organisms. We identify asexuality using de novo transcriptomes five...
The shift from sexual reproduction to parthenogenesis has occurred repeatedly in animals, but how the loss of sex affects genome evolution remains poorly understood. We generated reference genomes for five independently evolved parthenogenetic species stick insect genus Timema and their closest relatives. Using these references population genomic data, we show that results an extreme reduction heterozygosity often leads genetically uniform populations. also find evidence less effective...
Sexually dimorphic phenotypes are thought to arise primarily from sex-biased gene expression during development. Major changes in developmental strategies, such as the shift hemimetabolous holometabolous development, therefore expected have profound consequences for dynamics of expression. However, no studies previously examined development insects, precluding comparisons between strategies. Here we characterized at three stages a stick insect (Timema californicum): hatchlings, juveniles,...
Abstract A positive relationship across species between the extent to which females mate with more than one male and relative testes mass has been demonstrated in a wide range of vertebrate taxa certain insects. At least two hypotheses, are not necessarily mutually exclusive, could account for this pattern: (1) numerical sperm competition hypothesis, assumes that larger enable transfer each female, giving an advantage (2) mating rate proposes allow produce greater number (potentially...
Significance Putatively ancient asexual species pose a challenge to theory because they appear escape the predicted negative long-term consequences of asexuality. Although asexuality is difficult demonstrate, specific signatures haplotype divergence, called “Meselson effect,” are regarded as strong support for Here, we provide evidence Meselson effect in an oribatid mite species, Oppiella nova , and show that not caused by hybridization or polyploidization. Our findings conclusive absence...
Codon usage bias (CUB) in Drosophila is higher for X-linked genes than autosomal genes. One possible explanation that the effective recombination rate on X chromosome compared with autosomes reduces their susceptibility to Hill–Robertson effects, and thus enhances efficacy of selection codon usage. The genome sequence D. melanogaster was used test this hypothesis. Contrary expectation, it found that, after correcting rate, CUB remained autosomes. In contrast, an analysis polymorphism data...
Background A wide range of insects living at higher latitudes enter diapause the end warm season, which increases their chances survival through harsh winter conditions. In this study we used RNA sequencing to identify genes involved in adult reproductive a northern fly species, Drosophila montana. Both diapausing and non-diapausing flies were reared under critical day length temperature, where about half emerging females enabling us eliminate effects varying environmental conditions on gene...
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a multisystemic genetic disorder caused by the CTG repeat expansion in 3′-untranslated region of DMPK gene. Heart dysfunctions occur ∼80% DM1 patients and are second leading cause DM1-related deaths. Herein, we report that upregulation non-muscle splice isoform RNA-binding protein RBFOX2 heart tissue—due to altered splicing factor microRNA activities—induces cardiac conduction defects individuals. Mice engineered express RBFOX240 via tetracycline-inducible...
Sex chromosomes have evolved repeatedly across the tree of life. As they are present in different copy numbers males and females, expected to experience selection pressures than autosomes, with consequences including a faster rate evolution, increased accumulation sexually antagonistic alleles evolution dosage compensation. Whether these general or linked idiosyncrasies specific taxa is not clear as relatively few been studied thus far. Here, we use whole-genome sequencing identify...
Abstract At northern latitudes, the most robust cue for assessing onset of winter is shortening day lengths. Many species use length as a to increase their cold tolerance and/or enter into diapause, but little known about changes in gene expression that occur under different We investigate associated with differences light/dark cycles Drosophila montana, northerly distributed strong adult photoperiodic reproductive diapause. To examine induced by light both prior and during we used...
The genomes of species that are ecological specialists will likely contain signatures genomic adaptation to their niche. However, distinguishing genes related specialism from other sources selection and more random changes is a challenge. Here, we describe the genome Drosophila montana, which most extremely cold-adapted known. We use branch tests identify showing accelerated divergence in contrasts between cold- warm-adapted about 250 show differences, possibly driven by lower synonymous...
Abstract Organisms can plastically alter resource allocation in response to changing environmental factors. For example, harsh conditions, organisms are expected shift investment from reproduction toward survival; however, the factors and mechanisms that govern magnitude of such shifts relatively poorly studied. Here we compared impact cold on males females highly cold-tolerant species Drosophila montana at phenotypic transcriptomic levels. Although both sexes showed similar changes...
Obligately parthenogenetic species are expected to be short lived since the lack of sex and recombination should translate into a slower adaptation rate increased accumulation deleterious alleles. Some, however, thought have been reproducing without males for millions years. It is not clear how these old parthenogens can escape predicted long-term costs parthenogenesis, but an obvious explanation cryptic sex. In this study, we screen signatures in eight populations four Timema stick insects,...
While early models of ejaculate allocation predicted that both relative testes and size should increase with sperm competition intensity across species, recent predict may actually decrease as increase, owing to the confounding effect potential male mating rate. A study demonstrated volume decreased in relation increased polyandry bushcricket but mass was not measured. Here, we recorded testis for 21 while (ampulla) mass, nuptial gift number data were largely obtained from literature. Using...
The patterns of gene expression on highly differentiated sex chromosomes differ drastically from those autosomes, due to sex-specific selection and inheritance. As a result, X are often enriched in female-biased genes (feminization) Z male-biased (masculinization). However, it is not known how quickly sexualization transcriptional degeneration evolve after sex-chromosome formation. Furthermore, little about sex-biased varies throughout development.We sample population common frogs (Rana...
Asexual reproduction has evolved repeatedly from sexual ancestors across a wide range of taxa. Whereas the costs and benefits associated with asexuality have received considerable attention, molecular changes underpinning evolution asexual remain relatively unexplored. In particular, it is completely unknown whether repeated phenotypes involves similar changes, as previous studies focused on occurring in single lineages. Here, we investigate extent convergent gene expression five independent...
Abstract Males and females feature strikingly different phenotypes, despite sharing most of their genome. A resolution this apparent paradox is through differential gene expression, whereby genes are expressed at levels in each sex. This resolution, however, likely to be incomplete, leading conflict between males over the optimal expression genes. Here we test hypothesis that constrained from evolving its optimum level due sexually antagonistic selection on males, by examining changes...