Stéphanie Bertrand

The highly heterozygous European amphioxus (Branchiostoma lanceolatum) at the edge of panmixia

This study measures high genomic diversity in the European amphioxus and finds that long-distance larval dispersal maintains a panmictic population structure despite limited adult mobility.

Zygotic genome activation is timed by the egg DNA-to-cytoplasm ratio across animals

The paper investigates ZGA timing across 61 animal species and finds that genome size to cytoplasm volume ratio predicts ZGA onset.

Evolution of tissue-specific expression of ancestral genes across vertebrates andinsects

The paper investigates the evolution of tissue-specific gene expression across vertebrates and insects, finding that nearly half of ancestral genes have been recruited into tissue-specific transcriptomes.

Active DNA demethylation of developmental cis-regulatory regions predates vertebrate origins

The paper investigates 5hmC and TET enzyme function in non-vertebrate deuterostomes, showing conserved 5mC removal from regulatory regions across species.

Crosstalk between Nitric Oxide and Retinoic Acid pathways is essential for amphioxus pharynx development

The paper shows that NO and RA pathways interact in amphioxus pharynx development through reciprocal regulation of Aldh1a.2 and Nos genes.