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Adaptation & Genomics

Revealing the genetic basis of morphological and physiological adaptation is still a challenge, especially for non-model organisms. We use both candidate gene and full genomic sequencing approaches to better understand the genetic basis of certain adaptations and also sometimes work together with physiologists and biochemists to go beyond identifying DNA sequence regions that show signals of positive selection by functionally testing allelic variants both in-vitro and in-vivo.

Recent selected publications

  1. Zhang, L., Leonard, N., Passaro, R., Sy Luan, M., Van Tuyen, P., Ngoc Han, L.T., Cam, N.H., Larry Vogelnest, L., Lynch, M., Fine, A.E. , Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga, T., Nguyen Van Long, N., Rawson, B.M., Behie, A., Van Nguyen, T., Le, M.D., Nadler, T., Walter, L., Marques-Bonet, T., Hofreiter, M., Li, M., Liu, Z. and Roos, C. (2024) Genomic adaptation to small population size and saltwater consumption in the critically endangered Cat Ba langur. Nature Communications, in press.
  2. Folkertsma, R., Charbonnel, N., Henttonen, H., Heroldová, M., Huitu, O., Kotlík, P., Manzo, E., Paijmans, J. L. A., Plantard, O., Sándor, A. D., Hofreiter, M., & Eccard, J. A. (2024). Genomic signatures of climate adaptation in bank voles. Ecology and Evolution, 14, e10886. doi: 10.1002/ece3.10886. Epub 7th March 2024.
  3. Hilgers, L., Hartmann, S., Pfaender, J., Lentge-Maaß, N., Marwoto, R.M., von Rintelen, T. and Hofreiter, M. (2022) Evolutionary divergence and radula diversification in two ecomorphs from an adaptive radiation of freshwater snails. Genes (Basel), 13 (6), 1029. doi: 10.3390/genes13061029. Epub 8th June 2022.
  4. Le Duc, D., Velluva, A., Cassatt-Johnstone, M., Olsen, R.A., Baleka, S., Lin, C.C., Lemke, J.R., Southon, J.R., Burdin, A., Wang, M.S., Grunewald, S., Rosendahl, W., Joger, U., Rutschmann, S., Hildebrandt, T.B., Fritsch, G., Estes, J.A., Kelso, J., Dalén, L., Hofreiter, M., Shapiro, B. and Schöneberg, T. (2022) Genomic basis for skin phenotype and cold adaptation in the extinct Steller's sea cow. Science Advances, 8 (5), eabl6496. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abl6496. Epub 4th February 2022.
  5. Wang, J., Chen, X., Hou, X., Wang, J., Yue, W., Huang, S., Xu, G., Yan, J., Lu, G., Hofreiter, M., Li, C., Wang, C. (2022) “Omics” data unveil early molecular response underlying limb regeneration in the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis. Science Advances, 8 (37), eabl4642. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abl4642. Epub 16th September 2022.