Category Archives: Uncategorized

Dr. Williams, students in his lab, and collaborators recently published “Redundant and Singular Regulatory Elements Underlie the Rapidly Evolving Pigmentation of Drosophila” in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution The group used in silico and in vivo methods to study the DNA … Continue reading →

Abstract Gene regulatory networks specify the gene expression patterns needed for traits to develop. Differences in these networks can result in phenotypic differences between organisms. Although loss-of-function genetic screens can identify genes necessary for trait formation, gain-of-function screens can overcome … Continue reading →

 doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010653. eCollection 2023 Feb. Michael L Weinstein 1, Chad M Jaenke 1, Hasiba Asma 2, Matthew Spangler 1, Katherine A Kohnen 1, Claire C Konys 1, Melissa E Williams 1, Ashley V Williams 3, Mark Rebeiz 4, Marc S Halfon 2 5, Thomas M Williams 1 6 Affiliations expand Abstract Animal traits develop through the expression and action of numerous regulatory and realizator genes … Continue reading →

Cédric Finet, Victoria A Kassner, Antonio B Carvalho, Henry Chung, Jonathan P Day, Stephanie Day, Emily K Delaney, Francine C De Ré, Héloïse D Dufour, Eduardo Dupim, Hiroyuki F Izumitani, Thaísa B Gautério, Jessa Justen, Toru Katoh, Artyom Kopp, Shigeyuki Koshikawa, Ben Longdon, Elgion L Loreto, Maria D S Nunes, Komal K B Raja, Mark Rebeiz, Michael G Ritchie, Gayane Saakyan, Tanya Sneddon, Machiko … Continue reading →

Jesse T. Hughes, Melissa E. Williams, Mark Rebeiz, Thomas M. Williams https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.b.23068 Abstract Changes in gene expression are a prominent feature of morphological evolution. These changes occur to hierarchical gene regulatory networks (GRNs) of transcription factor genes that regulate the … Continue reading →

Original Research ARTICLE Front. Ecol. Evol., 26 March 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.00080 Gene Regulatory Network Homoplasy Underlies Recurrent Sexually Dimorphic Fruit Fly Pigmentation Jesse T. Hughes1, Melissa E. Williams1, Rachel Johnson1, Sumant Grover1, Mark Rebeiz2* and Thomas M. Williams1,3* 1Department of … Continue reading →

Curr Biol. 2019 Jul 8;29(13):2157-2166.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.05.074. Epub 2019 Jun 27. Changes throughout a Genetic Network Mask the Contribution of Hox Gene Evolution. Liu Y1, Ramos-Womack M2, Han C3, Reilly P3, Brackett KL4, Rogers W5, Williams TM5, Andolfatto P6, Stern … Continue reading →

Dev Biol. 2018 Sep 1;441(1):159-175. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.07.001. Epub 2018 Jul 4. Augmentation of a wound response element accompanies the origin of a Hox-regulated Drosophila abdominal pigmentation trait. Grover S1, Williams ME1, Kaiser R1, Hughes JT1, Gresham L1, Rebeiz M2, Williams … Continue reading →

Maxwell J Roeske, Eric M Camino, Sumant Grover, Mark Rebeiz, Thomas Michael Williams  Cite as: eLife 2018;7:e32273 doi: 10.7554/eLife.32273 Abstract Gene expression evolution through gene regulatory network (GRN) changes has gained appreciation as a driver of morphological evolution. However, understanding … Continue reading →

One primary agenda of the developmental evolution field is to elucidate molecular mechanisms governing differences in animal form. While mounting evidence has established an important role for mutations in transcription controlling cis-regulatory elements (CREs), the underlying mechanisms that translate these … Continue reading →