MOLECULAR EVOLUTION AND REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGIES

Our research deals with the molecular evolution of nuclear genomes with the aim to analyze factors involved in the speciation processes. More specifically, we want: i) to highlight the basis of repeated DNA sequence dynamics, ii) to study the impact of different reproductive strategies on genome evolution. This kind of analyses are accompanied/supported by molecular surveys clarifying the taxonomic/phylogenetic status of the taxa under study.  We work on several specific animal models. Bisexual but inbred genomes - owing to eusociality and an apanmictic condition - are represented by the termites of the Kalotermes and Reticulitermes genera (they build colonies with hundreds/thousands of individual but only few couples reproduce). Bisexual, hybridogenetic, androgenetic and facultative/obligatory parthenogenetic genomes (the latter of either non-hybrid or hybrid origin) are given by the entities of  a well-known example of reticulate evolution, i.e. the stick-insects of the genus Bacillus. Finally, a fossil genome that can follow in different populations gonochoric or hermaphroditic or androdioecious or parthenogenetic reproductive strategies  is featured by the European living fossil crustacean Triops cancriformis.

Our projects refer to two main research lines:

Heterochromatin genomics

Even if new high throughput technologies have enormously increased data production, we still miss a wide understanding of genome function/evolution especially in regions enriched in repetitive DNA sequences (centromere, telomere, other non-coding regions) . We focus our efforts in unveiling the mechanisms driving the evolution of tandemly repeated sequences (satellite DNA) and interspersed repeats (non-LTR and SINEs retrotransposons). This is done in the context of non canonical reproductive modes (non bisexual or non panmictic), because, even if sexuality is known to have a high impact on genome evolution, the huge variety of reproductive strategies is still poorly exploited.

Molecular biodiversity

Taxonomy, phylogeny and systematics have been, in the last decades, highly implemented through the use of molecular markers. We study the speciation mechanisms, as well as the standing biodiversity, using data from the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes in European populations of Isoptera and Notostraca. Data gathered in these projects are a strong support in comparative studies of Heterochromatin genomics projects, giving a clear-cut picture of the taxonomic/phylogenetic milieau in which repeated DNA is studied. Recently, with termites and stick-insects, we entered in the barcoding world.

Model animals

 Methodologies

Basic molecular techniques such as DNA isolation, PCR amplification, cloning, sequencing, Southern blotting. Bioinformatic analyses through most updated softwares. Karyology, FISH. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy.

Research Group
Barbara Mantovani (Professor of Zoology)
Andrea Luchetti (post-doc fellowship)
Marco Ricci (PhD student)
Alessandro Velonà (PhD student)
Valentina Mingazzini (PhD student)