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The research theme at MaBS is the mathematical biology of evolution. Evolution is the unifying theory of the biological sciences, and our aim is to design advanced mathematical methods and models that account for the biological complexity involved in most evolutionary processes. Complexity arises on all levels of biological organization: molecular, organismal, and ecological. The key issues of evolutionary research, such as adaptation and speciation, are usually addressed in special sub-disciplines for each of these levels, i.e. molecular population genetics, quantitative genetics, and evolutionary ecology. We work on all three fields with the special goal to create an integrative approach, with a combination of models, concepts, and methods. Recent projects range from the evolution of pre- and postzygotic genetic barriers in models of parapatric speciation (speciation with gene-flow) to the study of selective sweeps and so-called footprints of selection in DNA sequence variation.
Our work is concerned with the construction of mathematical models for eco-evolutionary processes. To this end, we use a wide range of analytical and computational approaches. Analytical methods combine deterministic modeling approaches based on differential equations and dynamical systems theory and probabilistic approaches based on stochastic processes and probability theory. We use large-scale computer simulations to extend our model predictions beyond analytically tractable cases. Finally, we develop statistical tools to test model predictions and to infer evolutionary processes from patterns in DNA sequence data.
Joachim Hermisson studied Physics and Philosophy in Tübingen and Göttingen and did a PhD on Quantum Phase Transitions before he switched to model Real Life. After a postdoc with Gunter Wagner at Yale, Joachim started his own junior research group in Munich in 2002. Since October 2007 he is in Vienna, where he holds a joint professorship at the Mathematics Department and at the Max Perutz Labs.
How does a complex trait adapt to a new selection pressure? Does selection lead to large changes in the allele frequency at few loci or rather to subtle changes at very many loci underlying the trait? These conflicting views emerge from molecular population genetics and quantitative genetics, the two main traditions of evolutionary research. In a recent model, we bridge this divide and demonstrate the conditions under which each "adaptive narrative" provides a valid approximation to biological reality.
Recent research has shown that adaptive gene flow between related species that can still interbreed is an important source for new adaptations in many animal and plant species. Typically, detection of such adaptive introgression events relies on comparative analyses and requires DNA sequence data from both the recipient and the donor species. However, in many cases, the donor may not be known or the data are not available. We therefore developed VolcanoFinder, a genome-scan method to detect adaptive introgression from polymorphism data of the recipient species only. Applying this method to detect archaic introgression in human populations, we identified several candidate genes in both African and European populations.
Can reinforcement complete speciation?
Bank C., Hermisson J. and Kirkpatrick, M.
Evolution of functional specialization and division of labor.
Rueffler Claus, Hermisson Joachim, Wagner Günter P.
Genome-wide patterns of genetic variation in worldwide Arabidopsis thaliana accessions from the RegMap panel
Horton,Matthew W., Hancock, Angela M., Huang, Yu S., Toomajian, Christopher, Atwell, Susanna, Auton, Adam,Muliyati,N Wayan, Platt, Alexander,Sperone,F Gianluca, Wilhjálmsson,Bjarni J,Nordborg,Magnus, Borevitz, Justin O, Bergelson, Joy.
MaBS is co-funded by a research grant of the Vienna Science and Technology Fund WWTF.
Systematic identification and functional characterization of transcriptional regulators
The mineralosphere as microhabitat for microbe, mineral and organic matter interaction in soils
Activation and regulation of plant immunity by secreted signaling peptides
Transcription start site selection is environmentally controlled to diversify the proteome in eukaryotes
How evolutionary interplay between sexes can help us define phenotypes and develop drugs
Mining for protein-protein interactions with AlphaFold: Lessons from Genome Maintenance
Title to be announced
The magical Martian Methane mystery and other stories about life on Mars
Probing life at the nanoscale - one molecule at a time
The Underworld of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents
Epigenetic regulation of germline development
Sister chromatid cohesion is mediated by individual cohesin complexes
Origin and evolution of a defensive symbiosis in tortoise leaf beetles
Capturing conformational transitions in the ubiquitin conjugation cascade
18th Microsymposium on RNA Biology
The „Microsymposium on RNA Biology“ is an international conference that brings together young scientists, junior and senior group leaders, and company representatives from all over the world to present and discuss their latest findings in the exciting field of small RNAs and beyond. The Microsymposium was founded in 2005 and has established itself as the major small RNA meeting in Europe. It is organized by the four research institutions IMBA, IMP, GMI and the Max Perutz Labs as well as by the RNA community of the Vienna BioCenter.
Transformation Reactions of Organic Contaminants and Oxygen: From Field Sites to Reaction Mechanisms
Title to be announced
Multiscale plant bioimaging using advanced microscopy
Parthenogenesis, cryptobiosis, and the survival in extreme environmental conditions
Evading ageing: Mitochondrial and proteostatic adaptations in oocytes
Ubiquitin & Friends Symposium 2024
The Ubiquitin & Friends Symposium is an annual international meeting taking place in the beautiful capital of Austria, aiming to bring together scholars from various fields studying ubiquitin/Ubl biology and protein degradation in a personal, family-like atmosphere, as suggested by the name.
Genomes in Rhodnius prolixus symbiotic system
Stem cells, immune evasion and metastasis in colorectal cancer
The evolution and development of mollusc shells
Unraveling the Complexity of Crossover Regulation in C. elegans
Dynamics of 3D Genome Structure and Function
How superworms can help to solve our plastic waste crisis
New players in an old pathway: biology of methanogens of the TACK superphylum
Shaping morphogen gradients: from molecules to tissues and back
Studying stressed cells by in situ structural biology
Exploring Microbial Resilience: Unravelling Escherichia coliand#x27;s Stress Response at the Level of Protein Synthesis
Deep homology and deep diversity: Evolving genetic toolkits for making and sensing light
The evolution of cell type identity and tissue microecology at the fetal-maternal interface
The unanticipated roles of PICIs and phages in bacterial evolution
Origin and diversification of gut-derived organs in chordates
Job's Dilemma for the Genome: Why Bad Things Happen to Good Chromosomes
Connections between carbon and nitrogen cycling in the ocean
Understanding how the DNA-loop-extruding protein complex Condensin folds a chromatinized genome into mitotic chromosomes
From Roads to Rivers? Occurrence and environmental fate of tire and road wear particles and of tire-related chemicals
Striking physiology and cell biology of (marine) environmental microorganisms
Mechanisms controlling maintenance of cohesin dependent loops
Title to be announced