Genetics

August 23, 2016
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Dr. Eirin-Lopez joins the journal Agri Gene as Associate Editor

Posted by | Chromatin, Epigenetics, Genetics, Research | No Comments

Agri Gene publishes papers that focus on the regulation, expression, function and evolution of genes in crop plants, farm animals, and agriculturally important insects and microorganisms. Agri Gene strives to be a diverse journal and topics in multiple fields will be considered for publication so long as their main focus is on agriculturally important organisms (plants, animals, insects, or microorganisms). Although not limited to the following, some examples of potential topics include:

Gene discovery and characterization.
Genetic markers to guide traditional breeding.
Genetic effects of transposable elements.
Evolutionary genetics, molecular evolution, population genetics, and phylogenetics.
Profiling of gene expression and genetic variation.
Biotechnology and crop or livestock improvement.
Genetic improvement of biological control microorganisms.
Genetic control of secondary metabolic pathways and metabolic enzymes of crop pathogens.
Transcription analysis of beneficial or pest insect developmental stages.

March 14, 2016
2

New Ph.D. student Javier Rodriguez Casariego joins Chromevol next fall

Posted by | Epigenetics, FIU, Genetics, Graduate student, Marine Biology, Oysters, Red Tides, Toxicology | No Comments

Javier graduated from the University of Havana, Cuba (B.S. Biology, 2008; M.S. Marine Biology, 2012) and has worked as a research scientist for the Marine Research Center at this institution until his transition to FIU. During the last 2 years he acted as senior research technician for FIU’s Ecotoxicology Laboratory before joining the Biology Graduate program. Javier is already participating in several Chromevol projects examining environmental epigenetic responses in marine invertebrates. His collaboration has been instrumental for the simulation of HAB episodes using Eastern oysters last summer (he presented preliminary results about this work in the Biosymposium last month), as well as for the analysis of coral samples exposed to nutrient loading. Those preliminary results will constitute the conceptual basis for his Ph.D. project. Welcome!!!

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July 13, 2015
1

It’s all too much for me to take …

Posted by | Cytogenetics, DNA, Genetics, Marine Biology, Red Tides, Research, Toxicology | No Comments

… when it comes to marine biotoxins!!!

For more than a decade now, we have been studying the effect of pollution on the genome of marine invertebrates, notably the genotoxic effect of marine biotoxins produced during harmful algal blooms. However, while the toxic effect of these compounds is well known, little is known about how much of them is needed and for how long to produce DNA damage. That is precisely what our own Veronica Prego-Faraldo has been studying during the last 2 years.

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In a paper published today in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A (78:814-824. Jul. 2015. View PDF), she provides in vitro evidence supporting the harmful effect of the biotoxin okadaic acid a low concentrations in specific tissues of bivalve molluscs. This work constitutes the first report investigating the early genotoxic effect of this biotoxin, which soon will be followed by complementary in vivo analyses in the mussel Mytilus.

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.

May 11, 2015
1

Ciro Rivera-Casas’ PhD dissertation is finished!

Posted by | Chromatin, DNA, Education, Genetics, Histones, Molecular biology, Research | No Comments

Our own Ciro Rivera-Casas is about to defend his Ph.D. dissertation! we’re really excited after checking the final printed copy of his work! During the last 5 years, Ciro has been focused on the characterization of histone variants in marine invertebrates and the methodologies for the study of chromatin in these organisms. Along the way, he has discovered several interesting and unexpected features of these proteins that soon will be published as part of his Ph.D. work. Congratulations to Ciro and best of luck for the defense of his work this summer!

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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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