Evolution

October 27, 2015
3

Chromevol’s research featured at AMLC’s bulletin!

Posted by | Conference, corals, Epigenetics, Evolution, Marine Biology, Research | No Comments

This month’s edition of the Notes of the Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean (AMLC) features our research group!

AMLC is a confederation of 27 marine research, education, and resource management institutions endeavoring to encourage the production and exchange of research and resource management information, advance the cause of marine and environmental education in the region, and facilitate cooperation and mutual assistance among its membership. AMLC also has more than 500 Individual Members with professional research and management interests in the Region. We presented our work at the AMLC meeting in Curaçao last May and we’ll repeat for sure in the next edition (Cancun 2017).

July 23, 2015
2

Congratulations to Dr. Rivera-Casas!

Posted by | Awards, Chromatin, Evolution, Histones, Marine Biology, Research | No Comments

Yesterday Chromevol’s graduate student Ciro Rivera-Casas defended (with great success!) his Ph.D. dissertation entitled “Histone variants in marine invertebrates: chromatin analysis and characterization of macroH2A and H2A.Z.2 variants in bivalve molluscs”. Ciro joined Chromevol in 2010 and is the second Ph.D. student graduating under Dr. Eirin-Lopez’s supervision. We want to make you all participants of his achievement and we hope he can visit us soon in Miami to tell us more about his research!

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June 11, 2015
1

is it a boy or a girl?

Posted by | DNA, Evolution, Genetics, Molecular biology, Research | No Comments

Sex determination is an extraordinarily complex mechanism. During this process, signals of different nature (genetic, epigenetic, environmental, etc.) interact with each other, often in a hierarchical manner, to produce a male or a female embryo. Historically, the study of sex determination has relied on insect models (specially the fruit fly Drosophila) due to their short generation time as well as to the presence of very well developed genetic toolkits.

Ulovené pri rieke ved¾a domu

Ten years ago we started a collaboration focused on this topic with the laboratory of Dr. Lucas Sanchez at the CIB-CSIC (Spanish Research Council, Madrid), investigating the evolution of the different components (proteins and genes) of the sex determination cascade in insects. Our latest results on this subject have been published this week by the journal Genetics. In this work we describe an unusual variation in the sex determination mechanism of sciara flies (gnats). More specifically, we find that the gene doublesex (responsible for discriminating between male-specific and female-specific developmental plans) does not seem to play that role in these insects, as suggested by the presence of non sex-specific doublesex transcripts in both males and females. This feature sets Sciara apart from other insects, revealing not only their divergent nature but also the extreme plasticity of sex determination mechanisms in nature.

April 27, 2015
1

Thanks to Dr. Steven Roberts for his visit and a great seminar last week at FIU

Posted by | Chromatin, DNA, Education, Evolution, FIU, Omics | No Comments

Last week we had the visit of Dr. Steven Roberts as our invited speaker within the “2015 Worlds Ahead Marine Sciences Seminar Series”. In addition to enjoying a great seminar, we had the chance of exchanging many exciting ideas about future projects addressing the epigenetic basis of environmental responses and adaptation in marine invertebrates. Many thanks Steven!

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January 13, 2015
1

Too fast for love

Posted by | DNA, Evolution, Genetics, Research | No Comments

Although CHROMEVOL’s main interests revolve around chromatin and epigenetics, we’re also interested in other aspects of development and evolution. Our latest work in this regard investigates the evolution of sex determining proteins in insects, reporting a previously unsuspected rapid evolution of basal components of the cascade, including the gene doublesex. This work has been accepted today for publication in the journal Development, Genes and Evolution (Springer), and constitutes yet another contribution of our long and fruitful collaboration with the research group of Dr. Lucas Sanchez at the Spanish Research Council in Madrid.

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October 06, 2014
5

Chromevol’s study of HMG proteins published in Molecular Biology and Evolution

Posted by | Chromatin, Evolution, Research | No Comments

The results of one of our most recent projects have just been published in the latest issue of the highly influential journal “Molecular Biology and Evolution” (IF 14.308). In this paper (Evolution of High Mobility Group Nucleosome-binding -HMGN- proteins and its implications for vertebrate chromatin specialization) we focus our attention in a family of proteins known as High Mobility Group (HMG), and more specifically to those binding directly to nucleosomes in the chromatin (HMGN). Throughout this work we provide useful information to our understanding of the specialization imparted on chromatin metabolism by HMGNs, especially on the evolutionary mechanisms underlying their functional differentiation in vertebrates.

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February 17, 2014
2

Chromevol’s work cited in the latest book by M. Nei “Mutation Driven Evolution” (Oxford University Press)

Posted by | Education, Evolution, Gene Families | No Comments

Ever since the inception of the Modern Synthesis (the combination of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by means of Natural Selection and the laws of genetic inheritance by Gregor Mendel) the role of natural selection shaping the variation observed in populations has represented one of the most attractive topics in Biology. However, evolution is driven by other additional forces, most notably mutation (the most important source of genetic variation). In this instant classic, Professor Masatoshi Nei examines the different mechanisms by which mutation contributes to evolution. Prof. Nei’s research has constituted a constant inspiration for our work at Chromevol, so we are specially proud that our own research on the evolution of multigene families is cited in this book.

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May 20, 2013
0

About Evolution

Posted by | Education, Evolution | No Comments

The book “About Evolution: keys to understand how our genetic material evolves” (Spanish, ISBN 978-84-9749-547-9) is now available! This work constitutes an outreach effort in which Dr. Jose Eirin-Lopez addresses the structure of our genetic material and some of the mechanisms shaping its evolutionary change. The book has been published by the University of A Coruna Press and is now available at http://www.une.es/ as well as from other sources across internet.

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