PhD student at the University of Sheffield investigating the role of lateral gene transfer in evolution in tropical grasses 🌾
Cat Collins
Really cool project with a lovely lab, I've had a great time so far with the joys of HGT and would definitely recommend !! www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Ecstatic to see the first chapter of my PhD published in MBE!
Most laterally acquired genes in plants are degenerating - the retained genes may to be more successful because they bring over their own regulatory machinery
academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
Our new paper shows that plasticity that has evolved to deal with one stressful situation, can help plants to adapt rapidly to new stressful situations. doi.org/10.1073/pnas... @meebangor.bsky.social @rbgkew.bsky.social @ukri.org @pnas.org
I have a new review out in TiG titled, “The ecology of horizontal gene transfer”! I’ve been thinking about these ideas for years and this field is growing so fast it’s becoming impossible to review it. I hope this paper sparks discussion on different ways we can look at DNA transfer!
Now out!
We show that TEs can be horizontally transferred between fungal species via Starships. Once transferred, these TEs can become active, changing the genome organization and affecting the lifestyle of the recipient fungus.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@oggenfussursula.bsky.social #TEsky
Bourne et al. analyzed immune receptor gene repertoires of 15 domesticated crop species, showing that grapes, mandarins, rice, barley, and yellow sarson exhibit reduced immune receptor gene repertoires compared to wild counterparts.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf147
#genome #evolution #PlantSky
New paper out in MBE! 🧵
"Genomic Perplexity and the Evolution of Context-Dependent Function"
The big idea: genes don't have fixed functions. Function emerges from context - genomic, cellular, environmental. And we can quantify this. academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
Abstract. Lateral gene transfer (LGT) is widespread in eukaryotes, including in animals and plants where it can fuel adaptive evolution and innovation. How
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) generates genetic variation in populations across all domains of life; however, most studies focus on individual transf…
Large mobile genetic elements known as Starships act as vehicles for transferring transposable elements (TEs) between fungi. Here, Griem-Krey et al. show that these ‘hitchhiking’ TEs can drive rapid e...
Abstract. Plant domestication is sometimes associated with a reduction in the diversity of immune receptor genes, critical for pathogen recognition and def
Abstract. The fundamental principle that selection acts on a gene’s function often assumes implicitly that this function is fixed and intrinsic. However, e
