Dissecting thermotolerance mechanisms in Thermothelomyces thermophilus.
Understanding the evolution of marine fungi.
Fungi are predominantly terrestrial organisms, and our understanding of marine fungi remains limited. While many extremophilic and extremotolerant fungi have been isolated from marine environments, there also exist numerous obligate marine fungi across diverse lineages that have diverged from largely terrestrial ancestors. Our research seeks to uncover the strategies these fungi have evolved to meet the unique challenges of marine ecosystems and to understand why distantly related species have repeatedly made this transition back to the sea.
One of our current model systems is Kluyveromyces nonfermentans, a yeast isolated from the deep sea. The Kluyveromyces clade includes both terrestrial species and species from brackish waters and estuaries, offering a framework to explore how K. nonfermentans transitioned into marine habitats and specialized for life in the deep ocean. Through this model, we aim to identify the traits that are unique to K. nonfermentans and determine how these adaptations enable its survival in extreme deep-sea environments.
A cold seep in teh South China Sea (Xudong Wang et al. Geosystems and Geoenvironment, 2022).
Sexual transmission of Botryozyma yeast between Panagrellus nematodes.
Many traits of industrial and biomedical interests arose long ago and are fixed in a given species, distinguishing it from its relatives. Understanding how evolution builds a trait over long timescales is a central goal for evolutionary geneticists. Botryozyma yeast spp. serve as a good system to investigate such question. We have found that this species has an ability, unique in the fungal kingdom, to attach to Panagrellus nematodes, especially their reproductive organs. The yeast can be transmitted between male and female nematodes, rendering it a powerful model for sexually transmitted infections. Current work focuses on the genetics of the unique trait and the impacts of the yeast on the host and vice versa, using both computational and wet lab approaches.
Panagrellus redivivus nematodes’ reproductive organs attached by Botryozyma nematodophila. (A) A female P. redivivus with B. nematodophila on the vulva. (B) A male P. redivivus with B. nematodophila on the spicule. 20X, B. nematodophila was stained with Calcofluor white.
Lineage specific selection in the mound-building mouse Mus spicilegus
This project investigates how evolutionary changes in gene regulation contribute to species-specific behavioral traits in the mound-building mouse, Mus spicilegus. Unlike its close relatives, M. spicilegus constructs large communal mounds and exhibits unique photoperiod-dependent pubertal timing and seasonal social behaviors, making it an ideal system for studying how genomic evolution shapes complex behavior. By integrating comparative genomics, transcriptomics, and evolutionary modeling, we aim to identify coding genes and cis-regulatory elements that show accelerated evolution along the spicilegus lineage.
By linking the evolution of these unique traits to neural gene expression patterns, this work aims to uncover the molecular mechanisms through which changes in the genome can shape species-specific behavioral phenotypes. Ultimately, the project provides a framework for nominating candidate genes to help us understand how evolutionary genetic changes contribute to the emergence of novel behavioral strategies in mammals.
Left, Mus spicilegus. Right, the mounds they built. Images from iNaturalist.
