P.I.: Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
Research interests
The goal of the lab is to understand how unicellular organisms became multicellular. Specifically, we focus on the origin of multicellular animals or metazoans. To this end, we are obtaining the genomes of animal’s closest unicellular relatives in order to perform comparative and functional genomics.
Moreover, we are trying to develop genetic tools in two close unicellular relatives of animals, the filasterean Capsaspora owczarzaki and the ichthyosporean Creolimax fragrantissima. Our goal is to establish them as “model organism” to address the origin of Metazoa.
Research organisms
Unicellular holozoans in general: Capsaspora owczarzaki, several ichthyosporeans, Corallochytrium limacirsporum, nucleariids
Bioinformatic, analytic, experimental skills
- Genome assembly and annotation
- Transcriptome assembly and annotation
- Differential expression analyses
- Phylogenies
- Gene family evolution
- Analysis of environmental (metabarcoding) data
- DNA, RNA, histones extraction
- Culturing of protists
- Inmunos, western blot, microscopoy, transformation
Lab website: http://www.multicellgenome.com
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.es/citations?user=MJMwbjAAAAAJ&hl=es&oi=ao
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6547-5304
E-mail: inaki.ruiz@ibe.upf-csic.es