Peter Andolfatto

Peter Andolfatto

Research Interest

Genomics, Computational and Systems Biology
Evolutionary Biology, Comparative Genomics and Population Genetics
Genome Organization, Maintenance and Expression

Andolfatto Lab Website

Short Research Description

We study the evolutionary processes shaping genome evolution and the genetic mechanisms underlying adaptations and species-specific traits. Of particular interest to us are the factors that limit the rate of adaptation and the extent to which the genetic basis of organismal phenotypic diversity is predictable.  To do this, we aim to generate and analyse innovative experimental data by bringing together aspects of functional/phylo/population-genomics, ecology, biochemistry and molecular genetics. We work at a variety of scales, from the dissection of repeated adaptation in a single protein (Na+,K+-ATPase) to the characterization of changes in gene regulatory networks underlying phenotypes like pigmentation and morphology to inferences about processes underlying genome evolution and speciation. We study these fundamental questions using a wide variety of model and non-model organisms, including Drosophila, butterflies and other insects, fish, reptiles and amphibians.

Representative Publications

  • Mohammadi S, Yang L*, Harpak A, Herrera-Alvarez S, Rodríguez-Ordoñez MP, Peng J, Zhang K, Storz JF, Dobler S, Crawford AJ, Andolfatto P. 2021. Concerted evolution reveals co-adapted amino acid substitutions in Na+K+-ATPase of frogs that prey on toxic toads. Current Biology 31:1–9. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00462-0 
     
  • Liuqi G, Reilly PF*, Lewis JL, Reed RD, Andolfatto P, Walters JR. 2019.  Dichotomy of dosage compensation along the neo Z chromosome of the Monarch butterfly. Current Biology, 29:4071-7. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(19)31247-3.pdf 
     
  • Liu Y, Ramos-Womack M, Han C*, Reilly P*, LaRue-Brackett K, Rogers W, Williams TM, Andolfatto P, Stern DL, Rebeiz M. 2019. Changes throughout a genetic network mask the contribution of Hox gene evolution. Current Biology, 29:2157-2166.e6. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(19)30688-8
     
  • Taverner AM*, Yang L*, Barile ZJ, Lin B, Peng J, Pinharanda A*, Rao A*, Roland BP, Talsma AD, Wei D, Petschenka G, Palladino MJ, Andolfatto P. 2019. Adaptive substitutions underlying cardiac glycoside insensitivity in insects exhibit epistasis in vivo. eLife, 8:e48224. https://elifesciences.org/articles/48224
     
  • Schumer M*, Cui R, Rosenthal GG, Andolfatto P. 2015. Reproductive isolation of hybrid populations driven by genetic incompatibilities. PLoS Genetics, 11(3):e1005041. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25768654
     
  • Schumer M*, Cui R, Powell D, Dresner R, Rosenthal GG, Andolfatto P. 2014. High-resolution mapping reveals hundreds of genetic incompatibilities in hybridizing fish species.  Elife. Jun 4:e02535. http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.02535

    * denotes trainees