Developmental Syndromes Underlying the Evolution of Reproductive Isolation in Mammals
Event details
| Date | 12.11.2014 |
| Hour | 10:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. Jeffrey M. Good, University of Montana, Missoula, MT (USA) |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
BIOENGINEERING SEMINAR
Abstract:
Hybrid defects manifest from developmental pathways that have diverged rapidly between species, providing powerful insights into the genetic underpinnings of diversification and adaptation. Yet we still do not have a clear sense of if certain developmental processes are especially prone to disruption in hybrids. I will discuss our recent speciation genetics research focused on two developmental processes – spermatogenesis and embryonic development – that appear to be commonly disrupted in mammalian hybrids. We have used genetic crosses and genome-wide surveys of gene expression to localize incompatibilities causing hybrid inviability and male sterility to specific developmental time points. Epistatic interactions involving the X chromosome and disturbance of epigenetic regulation of gene expression play central roles in the evolution of both phenotypes. These intriguing results suggest that disparate forms of intrinsic reproductive isolation in mammals may reflect the recurrent disruption of key developmental processes through similar genetic mechanisms.
Bio:
Assistant Professor, University of Montana (2010-present)
NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Inst, Leipzig, Germany, 2008-2010, (Pääbo Lab)
PhD, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2007 (Nachman Lab)
MS, Biology, University of Idaho, 2002 (Sullivan Lab)
BS, Zoology, University of Idaho, 1999
Abstract:
Hybrid defects manifest from developmental pathways that have diverged rapidly between species, providing powerful insights into the genetic underpinnings of diversification and adaptation. Yet we still do not have a clear sense of if certain developmental processes are especially prone to disruption in hybrids. I will discuss our recent speciation genetics research focused on two developmental processes – spermatogenesis and embryonic development – that appear to be commonly disrupted in mammalian hybrids. We have used genetic crosses and genome-wide surveys of gene expression to localize incompatibilities causing hybrid inviability and male sterility to specific developmental time points. Epistatic interactions involving the X chromosome and disturbance of epigenetic regulation of gene expression play central roles in the evolution of both phenotypes. These intriguing results suggest that disparate forms of intrinsic reproductive isolation in mammals may reflect the recurrent disruption of key developmental processes through similar genetic mechanisms.
Bio:
Assistant Professor, University of Montana (2010-present)
NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Inst, Leipzig, Germany, 2008-2010, (Pääbo Lab)
PhD, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2007 (Nachman Lab)
MS, Biology, University of Idaho, 2002 (Sullivan Lab)
BS, Zoology, University of Idaho, 1999
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