📣 Searching for a PostDoc! 📣 Soon to be moving to San Sebastian, Spain, as @georgiamneuro.bsky.social starts her new position 🎉. Looking for a remote/hybrid position within ecoevo. Broad interests in sexual selection, mutation rates, genomic conflicts and gametogenesis. Get in touch!

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

Transposable elements hitchhike on Starships across fungal genomes - Nature Communications

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...

nature.com

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!

The ecology of horizontal gene transfer

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) generates genetic variation in populations across all domains of life; however, most studies focus on individual transf…

sciencedirect.com

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/...

Genomic Perplexity and the Evolution of Context-Dependent Function

Abstract. The fundamental principle that selection acts on a gene’s function often assumes implicitly that this function is fixed and intrinsic. However, e

academic.oup.com

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/...

Regulatory features determine the evolutionary fate of laterally acquired genes in plants

Abstract. Lateral gene transfer (LGT) is widespread in eukaryotes, including in animals and plants where it can fuel adaptive evolution and innovation. How

academic.oup.com

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

Domestication Reduces Plant Immune Receptor Gene Repertoires Across Lineages

Abstract. Plant domestication is sometimes associated with a reduction in the diversity of immune receptor genes, critical for pathogen recognition and def

doi.org

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...

Horizontal gene transfer and its role in crop adaptation and evolution at University of Sheffield on FindAPhD.com

PhD Project - Horizontal gene transfer and its role in crop adaptation and evolution at University of Sheffield, listed on FindAPhD.com

findaphd.com

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