Dr. Luciano M. Matzkin

Assistant Professor Director of the Graduate Program Evolutionary Biology Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics Population Genetics Office: Shelby Center Room 302K Phone: 256.824.4326 Email: lmm0015@uah.edu

Lab webpage

Research Description

Our lab investigates how the ecology of a species shapes patterns of variation (from genes to genomes) and how populations adapt to environmental shifts. Our research revolves around this fundamental aspect of evolution. Our work focuses on: (i) the study of the genetical basis of adaptation; (ii) examining the role of gene expression changes in evolution; (iii) the relationship between molecular, expression and life history variation and evolution. We mostly focus on a group of cactophilic Drosophila that inhabit the deserts of North America. These Drosophila species are an excellent system to study given that their ecology is well understood and the fact that we can perform many genetic, genomic and life history experiments.

Selected Publications

Lang, M., Murat, S., Clark, A. G. Gouppil, G., Blais, C., Matzkin, L. M., Guittard, E., Yoshiyama-Ynagawa, T., Kataoka, H., Niwa, R., Lafont, R., Dauphin-Villemant, C., and Orgogozo, V.  (2012).  Mutations in the neverland gene turned Drosophila pachea into an obligate specialist species. Science. 337:1658-1661.

Matzkin, L. M. (2012). Population transcriptomics of cactus host shifts in Drosophila mojavensis. Molecular Ecology. 21:2428-2439.

Bono, J. M.*, Matzkin, L. M.*, Kelleher, E. S., Markow, T. A. (2011). Postmating transcriptional changes in reproductive tracts of con- and heterospecifically-mated Drosophila mojavensis females. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (*Authors contributed equally). 108:7878-7883.

Matzkin, L. M., Johnson, S., Paight, C., Bozinovic, G. and Markow, T.A. (2011). Diet, development and metabolic pools in ecologically diverse Drosophila. Journal of Nutrition. 141:1127–1133.

Matzkin, L. M., and Markow, T. A. (2009). Transcriptional regulation of metabolism associated with the increased desiccation resistance of the cactophilic Drosophila mojavensis. Genetics. 182:1279-1288.

Schaeffer, S. W., Bhutkar, A., McAllister, B. F., Matsuda, M., Matzkin, L. M., et al. (2008). Polytene Chromosomal Maps of 11 Drosophila species: The order of genomic scaffolds inferred from genetic and physical maps. Genetics. 179:1601-1655.

Matzkin, L. M. (2008). The molecular basis of host adaptation in cactophilic Drosophila: Molecular evolution of Glutathione-S-transferase (Gst) in Drosophila mojavensis. Genetics. 178:1073-1083.

Drosophila 12 Genomes Consortium (Matzkin, L. M. co-author). (2007). Evolution of genes and genomes on the Drosophila phylogeny. Nature. 450:203-218.

Matzkin, L. M., Watts, T. D., Bitler B. G., Machado, C. A. and Markow, T. A. (2006). Functional genomics of cactus host shifts in Drosophila mojavensis. Molecular Ecology. 15:4635-4643.