February 29, 4PM, EB 110
Andrew DeWoody
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University
Co-hosted with the Biological Sciences Department
"The history, mating system, and MHC biology of tiger salamanders from
Indiana"
Abstract: Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes help differentiate self
from non-self, and their patterns of nucleotide substitution serve as
classic examples of balancing selection at the molecular level. Beyond
natural selection, some authors have argued that MHC genes are the
target of sexual selection and that a variety of organisms (humans,
mice, salmon) choose their mates based partly on MHC genotype. In
theory, parents who mate disassortatively with respect to MHC can
enhance the immunosurveillance of their progeny. However, MHC-based
mate choice has rarely been critically evaluated. We characterized a
key MHC gene in salamanders and then used genetic parentage analyses to
test for MHC-based mate choice. These same genetic data, along with
mitochondrial DNA sequences, were also used to reconstruct the
evolutionary history of the population.
Biographical Sketch: J. Andrew DeWoody is an Associate Professor of Genetics at Purdue University, where he joined the faculty in 2001. He received his B.S.
from Texas A&M University, then earned an M.S. (also at A&M) in Genetics
under the tutelage of Rodney Honeycutt and Loren Skow. Andrew's Ph.D.
in Zoology is from Texas Tech University, where he worked with a
preeminent mammalogist (Robert Baker). DeWoody then did a 3-yr postdoc
stint with an obscure geneticist named John Avise at the University of
Georgia (Department of Genetics) At Purdue, DeWoody's graduate students have worked in the fields of molecular evolution (Deb Triant), conservation biology (Dave Glista, Jamie Nogle, Jamie Rudnick, Ben Reinhart), and immunogenetics (Sara
Turner and Joe Busch). His research has been funded by a variety of
organizations including NSF, USDA-NRI, the Great Lakes Fishery Trust,
the National Geographic Society, and the Joint Transportation Research
Program.
Readings:
