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The major focus of our lab is to understand the molecular mechanisms of phenotypic plasticity - the ability of a single genotype to produce multiple phenotypes.
News:
News:
3/17/25: Shelley Reich successfully defended her thesis! Congratulations Shelley, we will miss you!
Michael sat down with fellow University of Utah colleagues Bryn Dentinger and Jessica Brown to discuss the science behind the hit HBO show 'The Last of Us'. The conversation was featured on the Science of Fiction blog: https://www.sciof.fi/last-of-us-science-explained/
11/14/24: Michael was interviewed for an article in National Geographic on the new HBO show Dune Prophecy: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/psychedelic-animals-dune-spice-melange by Maddie Stone.
9/12/24: Check out our new paper on heavy metals in GSL benthic sediment: Jung et al., Frontiers in Soil Science. 2024. Thanks to collaborators Diego Fernandez and Carie Frantz!
8/23/24: Audrey's paper is highlighted in 'Genes to Genomes' blog: https://genestogenomes.org/p-pacificuss-epigenetic-toolkit-is-missing-an-important-tool/.
5/10/24: Michael was interviewed for an episode of Constant Wonder on the wonder of nematodes. Thanks to Eric Schulzke and Elaine Scott @ BYU Radio!
5/10/24: Michael and Nate Schroeder (U of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) co-wrote an Editorial in Frontiers: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2024.1417354/full
May, 7, 2024: The lab's second publication is out! A really fun collaboration with Cam Weadick and Ofer Rog's lab; Audrey et al., identified the "epigenetic toolkit" in C. elagans and P. pacificus, revealing the first known loss of the PRC2 complex in animals: https://academic.oup.com/genetics/article/227/1/iyae041/7633365
March 29, 2024: And it's out! The Werner Lab's first publication - so proud of Julie and the rest of the team. Check out our discovery of nematodes in the Great Salt Lake: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2023.2653.
Julie's paper is getting some really cool press:
Michael was interviewed for a story on the Science of Dune's Sandworms in Popular Science: https://www.popsci.com/science/the-science-of-dunes-magnificent-merciless-sandworms/
Our Aim:
Our Aim:
Different environments can elicit distinct phenotypes from a single genotype, referred to as phenotypic (developmental) plasticity (Stearns, 1989; West-Eberhard, 2003). Social insects have made use of this ability to establish elaborate caste systems, while other animals and plants can modify particular traits to match their environment; such as the microcrustacean Daphnia which develops structural ‘helmets’ in response to predator cues. Studies on these and other model systems have made significant contributions toward understanding the ecological and evolutionary implications of phenotypic plasticity. However, the proximate molecular mechanisms that transmit environmental information into physiological, behavioral, and morphological changes are still largely unknown. This is a key missing feature in our understanding of development, including many processes that affect human health and well-being, such as learning, adaptive immunity, and the effects of diet and exercise. We take an integrative approach to identify the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate phenotypic plasticity, and their potential roles in ecology, evolution and human health.
We are located in the Skaggs Biology Building, as part of the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Utah.
We are located in the Skaggs Biology Building, as part of the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Utah.
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