Jose M RanzAssistant Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology |
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Research Interests |
Functional and comparative genomics; Evolution of the expression network; Speciation | |
| URLs | Faculty Profile | |
| Ranz Lab | ||
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Academic Distinctions |
2003 EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization) long-term postdoctoral fellowship. 2000 Research Council of Spain postdoctoral fellowship. |
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| Appointments |
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Cambridge, Department of Genetics. Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. |
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Research Abstract |
In my lab we use mostly, although not exclusively, Diptera (Drosophila and mosquito) species as a model in the following research areas: Structural Evolutionary Dynamics of the Eukaryotic Genome. We are analyzing how the molecular organization of protein-coding and RNA genes in the genome has been affected by structural changes and how this variation affects gene expression and ultimately the fitness of the carriers. Structural variation encompasses both chromosomal rearrangements (inversions and translocations) and changes in copy number (deletions/duplications). Using computational methods and high-throughput technologies such as microarrays and sequencing, we are characterizing genomic regions in Diptera that harbour breakpoints of chromosomal rearrangements to understand the molecular mechanisms that drive genome rearrangement and their effects on gene structure (including the regulatory sequences) and function. A very important goal of this line of research is to clarify the relative importance of functional constraints in shaping the organization of eukaryotic genomes. Genetic tools recently developed in model organisms such as Drosophila are used to create engineered chromosomal rearrangements that will help to test experimentally the scope of functional constraints operating on particular regions across the genome. Evolution of the Expression Network. The evolution of gene expression plays a central role during species diversification. Most research has been centered on transcriptional changes linked to the remodeling of enhancer sequences. Nevertheless, recent evidence indicates that transcription factors have evolved more rapidly than anticipated given their widespread effects. Besides, some small RNAs, which are also trans-acting factors, have been proved to play a central role in regulating gene expression across phyla. We are analyzing the impact of trans-acting factor evolution on expression profiles in general and in relation to specific tissues and developmental timepoints in particular. In addition, we aim at understanding how the overlap of different functional units affects the regulation of their expression and their evolutionary dynamics. |
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| Publications |
Landry, C.R., D.L. Hartl, & J.M. Ranz 2007 Genome clashes in hybrids: insights from gene expression. Heredity 99: 483-93. Ranz, J.M., D. Maurin, Y.S. Chan, M. von Grotthuss, L.D.W. Hillier, J. Roote, M. Ashburner, & C. Bergman 2007 Principles of genome evolution in the D. melanogaster species group. PLoS Biol 5(6): e152. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0050152. Ranz, J.M., & C. Machado 2006 Uncovering evolutionary patterns of gene expression using microarrays. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 21: 29-37. Landry, C.R., P.J. Wittkopp, C.H. Taubes, J.M. Ranz, A.G. Clark, & D.L. Hartl 2005 Compensatory cis-trans evolution and the misregulation of gene expression in interspecific hybrids. Genetics 171: 1813-22. Ranz, J.M., K. Namgyal, G. Gibson, & D.L. Hartl 2004 Anomalies in the expression profile of interspecific hybrids of Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans. Genome Res. 14: 373-9. Kulathinal, R. J., S.A. Sawyer, C.D. Bustamante, D.I. Nurminsky, R. Ponce, J.M. Ranz, & D.L. Hartl 2004 Selective sweep in the evolution of a new sperm-specific gene in Drosophila. In Selective Sweeps, edited by D. I. Nurminsky. Landes Company, Austin, Texas. Negre, B., J.M. Ranz, F. Casals, M. Cáceres, & A. Ruiz 2003 A new split of the Hox gene complex in Drosophila: relocation and evolution of the gene labial. Mol. Biol. Evol. 20: 2042-54. Meiklejohn, C.D., J. Parsch, J.M. Ranz, & D.L. Hartl 2003 Rapid evolution of male-biased gene expression in Drosophila. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100: 9894-9. Ranz, J.M., J. González, F. Casals, & A. Ruiz 2003 Low occurrence of gene transposition events during the evolution of the genus Drosophila. Evolution 57: 1325-35. Ranz, J.M., C.I. Castillo-Davis, C.D. Meiklejohn, & D.L. Hartl 2003 Sex-dependent gene expression and the evolution of the Drosophila transcriptome. Science 300: 1742-45. Ranz, J.M., A.R. Ponce, D. Hartl, & D. Nurminsky 2003 Origin and evolution of a new gene expressed in the Drosophila sperm axoneme. Genetica 118: 233-44. Hartl, D.L., C.D. Meiklejohn, C.I. Castillo-Davis, D. Cavalieri, J.M. Ranz, & J.P. Townsend 2003 Gene expression profiling in evolutionary genetics. Pp. 74-93, in The Evolution of Population Biology: Modern Synthesis. Eds. R. Singh, S. Jain & M. Uyenoyama. Academic Press, New York. González, J., J.M. Ranz, & A. Ruiz 2002 Chromosomal elements evolve at different rates in the Drosophila genome. Genetics 161: 1137-54. Ranz, J.M., F. Casals, & A. Ruiz 2001 How malleable is the eukaryotic genome? Extreme rate of chromosomal rearrangement in the genus Drosophila. Genome Res. 11: 230-9. Cáceres, M., J.M. Ranz, A. Barbadilla, M. Long, & A. Ruiz 1999 A transposon mediated the generation of a Drosophila widespread inversion. Science 285: 415-8. Ranz, J.M., M. Cáceres, & A. Ruiz 1999 Comparative mapping of cosmids and gene clones from a 1.6 Mb chromosomal region of Drosophila melanogaster in three species of the distantly related subgenus Drosophila. Chromosoma 108: 32-43. Ruiz, A., J.M. Ranz, M. Cáceres, C. Segarra, A. Navarro, & A. Barbadilla 1997 Chromosomal evolution and comparative gene mapping in the Drosophila repleta species group. Genetics and Mol. Biol. 20: 553-65. Ranz, J.M., C. Segarra, & A. Ruiz 1997 Chromosomal homology and molecular organization of Muller´s elements D and E in the Drosophila repleta species group. Genetics 145: 281-95. |
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| Link to this profile | http://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=5434 | |
| Last updated | 04/08/2008 | |