Jose M Ranz

Picture of Jose M Ranz
Associate Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
School of Biological Sciences
Ph.D., Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 1998, Biological Sciences
B.S., Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 1993, Biological Sciences
Phone: (949) 824-9071
Fax: (949) 824-2181
Email: jranz'at'uci.edu
University of California, Irvine
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
321 Steinhaus Hall, SH-465
Irvine, CA 92697
Research Interests
Functional and comparative genomics; Evolution of the expression network; Speciation
Academic Distinctions
2003 EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization) long-term postdoctoral fellowship.

2000 Research Council of Spain postdoctoral fellowship.
Appointments
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Cambridge, Department of Genetics.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology.
Research Abstract
We use Drosophila and mosquito species as model in the following research areas:

Structural Evolutionary Dynamics of the Eukaryotic Genome.

Structural variants encompass gross chromosomal rearrangements (inversions and translocations) and changes in gene copy number. These mutations can reshape the arrangement of genes on chromosomes. Using computational methods, high-throughput technologies, and chromosome engineering, we are characterizing two very different types of genomic regions in Diptera genomes. Some of these regions seem to be refractory to chromosomal breakpoints while others tend to accumulate them. Ultimately, we are interested in deciphering the molecular mechanisms that drive genome rearrangement and their effects on the phenotype.


Evolution of the Gene Network.

Gene network evolution plays a central role during species adaptation and divergence. Our interests include recently evolved genes and some classes of small RNAs that act as transacting factors. We are analyzing the impact of these network components on the transcriptome and on principal fitness components.
Publications
C. Díaz-Castillo, & J.M. Ranz 2012 Nuclear chromosome dynamics in the Drosophila male germline contribute to the non-random genomic distribution of retrogenes. Mol. Biol. Evol. (in press).
J.M. Ranz & John Parsch 2012 Newly evolved genes: Moving from comparative genomics to functional studies in model systems. BioEssays (in press).
S.-D. Yeh, T. Do, C. Chan, A. Cordova, F. Carranza, E.A. Yamamoto, M. Abbassi, K.A. Gandasetiawan, P. Librado, E. Damia, P. Dimitri, J. Rozas, D.L. Hartl, J. Roote & J.M. Ranz. 2011 Functional Evidence that a Recently Evolved Drosophila Sperm-Specific Gene Boosts Sperm Competition. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA doi: 10.1073/pnas.1121327109.
C. Díaz-Castillo, X.-Q. Xia, & J.M. Ranz. 2011 Evaluation of the role of functional constraints on the integrity of an ultraconserved region in the genus Drosophila. PLoS Genet. 8(2): e1002475. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002475.
Ranz, J.M., C. Díaz-Castillo, & R. Petersen 2011 Conserved gene order at the nuclear periphery in Drosophila. Mol. Biol. Evol. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msr178.
von Grotthus, M., Ashburner, M., & J.M. Ranz 2010 Fragile regions and not functional constraints predominate in shaping gene organization in the genus Drosophila. Genome Res. 20: 1084-1096.
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.
Last updated
07/11/2018