Abstract: Effective interpretation of genome function and genetic variation requires a shift from epigenetic mapping of cis-regulatory elements (CREs) to characterization of endogenous function. We developed HCR-FlowFISH, ...

It is estimated that one in ten people in the US struggle with infertility. Access to human germline cell types for study is limited, and little is known about the underlying genetic regulation of human gametogenesis. In ...

Evolutionary genetics is at an exciting crossroads due to the growing ability to functionally characterize non-coding regions enabled by high-throughput genomic technologies. Although coding sequence differences between ...

Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum are two parasites that cause most malaria cases worldwide. P. vivax is chronically understudied compared to P. falciparum, and significant aspects of its biology remain a mystery. ...

Neurodegeneration is a debilitating process defining diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Research on neurodegeneration has focused on neuronal tau protein accumulation, ...

The ability to undergo plastic and evolutionary change in adaptive traits is key for plant survival under future climate change. Both processes require genetic variation in adaptive traits within populations. Thus, for my ...

This dissertation is an empirical and theoretical examination of the evolution of sex, sex-determining mechanisms, and sexual selection. Chapter 1 surveys adult sex ratios across species and populations of Anolis lizards ...

Chromatin is spatially organized across length scales, from DNA base pairs to chromosomes to tissues. This organization, which is encompassed in the term epigenomics, is thought to regulate gene expression and control ...

Aging is a progressive multifaceted functional decline of a biological system. Chronic age-related conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases are leading causes of death worldwide. As the ...

Heterozygous chromosomal structural variants are widely present in many different organisms. These variants exist in many different forms, including copy number variants, insertions, deletions, and translocations and can ...