The Developmental Basis of Biological Diversity - Cancelled!

  • 1 December 2022
    4:00 PM
  • University Campus Bohunice (pavilion B11/ seminar room 132)

Lecture will be held in English

Speaker

Dr. Ricardo Mallarino,

Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology (Princeton University)

The Mallarino lab is broadly interested in addressing two questions:

(1) what are the genetic and developmental mechanisms by which form and structure are regulated during vertebrate embryogenesis?

(2) how are these processes modified during evolutionary time to produce the spectacular phenotypic diversity seen in nature?

We combine the study of non-traditional model organisms, because of their diverse and ecologically relevant phenotypes, with traditional model species, because of the powerful molecular and genetic tools available, to explore questions relating to patterning and evolution of novelty in the mammalian skin. The skin is a powerful model because it exhibits remarkable diversity in form and structure across mammals, is experimentally accessible/tractable, and the molecular mechanisms underlying its formation have been well characterized. We use a variety of approaches, including experimental embryology, genetics, genomics, imaging, and mathematical modelling to uncover gene function and understand mechanisms of evolutionary change. The lab is currently focusing on two model systems: striped rodents and gliding mammals.

About the lecture

"The Developmental Basis of Biological Diversity"

The overall goal of my laboratory is to understand the molecular mechanisms by which phenotypic traits are established and elucidate how these processes are modified during evolutionary time to produce the spectacular phenotypic diversity seen in nature. To achieve this, we develop genomic and experimental approaches in non-traditional model species and focus on questions relating to patterning and the evolution of novelty in the mammalian skin. Mammalian skin is a powerful model because it exhibits remarkable diversity in structure and function across species, is experimentally accessible/tractable, and the molecular mechanisms underlying its formation are well characterized. In this talk, I’ll describe our recent work aimed at understanding two distinct spatially patterned phenomena during skin development (1) color pattern formation in rodents, and (2) formation of gliding membranes in marsupials. I’ll discuss how we are using a variety of approaches, including experimental embryology, transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling, comparative genomics, functional genetics, and imaging, to uncover gene function and understand mechanisms of evolutionary change. Together, by focusing on developmental mechanisms, our work seeks to provide a comprehensive roadmap for linking genotype and phenotype at an unprecedented mechanistic and conceptual level.

Registration for lunch with the speaker /for Ph.D. students/

The sponsored lunch usually takes place in the Campus River restaurant. Please meet the speaker and other students at 12:45 at the reception desk at the main entrance (building B22, see the map below).

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