Research - Ecology and Evolution

The Brenner Lab develops methods to characterize macromolecular function and relationships using protein and RNA sequence information, evolutionary principles, and computational methods. We also investigate how many natural mRNA transcripts are apparent targets of the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay pathway for RNA surveillance. In many instances, alternative splicing induces NMD for gene regulation.

The Bruns Lab has two central research themes: fungal ecology and evolution, with molecular systematics crucial to both. This Lab contributed some of the first sequence-based analyses of fungal evolution and developed oligonucleotide primers to the ribosomal RNA genes and spacers. These primers constitute a mainstay of fungal molecular systematics.

Prokaryotes are highly organized cells with many ultrastructural similarities to eukaryotes. In addition to a highly dynamic cytoskeleton composed of homologues of actin, tubulin and intermediate filaments, many prokaryotes possess intracellular membranous organelles. My lab uses bacterial magnetosomes as a model system to study the molecular mechanisms governing the biogenesis and maintenance of prokaryotic organelles. Using a variety of approaches, we identify and investigate key genes involved in controlling magnetosome formation and function.

Our research group studies aspects of epiphytic bacteria that live on healthy plants' surfaces, emphasizing bacteria active in ice nucleation, causing frost damage to plants. We also study plant pathogenic bacteria that inhabit plant surfaces before infection. We use molecular genetic and ecological approaches to study how epiphytic bacteria interact with other microorganisms on plants, and with the plants on which they live. We seek to better understand adaptations epiphytic bacteria have evolved to exploit this unique habitat.

Research in the Specht lab centers on the processes and patterns involved in the evolution and diversification of plants, especially the monocots. We use a phylogenetic framework to test hypotheses of morphological evolution and to analyze temporal and spatial patterns of plant speciation. We emphasize use of systematics in comparative biology. We focus on the evolution of development, comparative genomics and the genetics of interspecies interactions.

We study the pattern and process of fungal evolution, both to understand the process and to make fungi the best models for evolutionary biology. We focus on the key evolutionary event that forms the tree of life: speciation. Recently we have documented species divergences, compared phylogenetic and biological species recognition, addressed the timing of species divergence, and evaluated selection acting on potentially adaptive genes. Now, we are using genetics and genomics to find genes that maintain species and facilitate adaptation.

Our goal is to understand how components of eukaryotic chromatin interrelate and integrate to regulate transcriptional activity. We combine genetics and biochemistry with genomics and computational analysis to study DNA methylation, deposition of histone variants, chromatin associated proteins and nucleosome remodeling.