Liliana M. Dávalos

Integrated genomics and transcriptomics reveal molecular insights into extreme dietary adaptation in vampire bats

This study integrates genomics and transcriptomics to identify molecular changes in vampire bats adapted to blood-feeding, revealing shifts in gene expression and function across multiple biological pathways.

Pathogenesis and host response to a novel Tacaribe virus isolate in experimentally-infected Jamaican fruit bats

This paper isolates and characterizes a novel Tacaribe virus (TCRV) strain from Jamaican fruit bats, showing it causes nonfatal infection with mild liver disease and limited immune response, offering a better model for studying arenavirus biology than previously used strains.

Exon Targeted Retrieval and Classification Toolbox (ExTRaCT): a gene search pipeline to find APOBEC3 Z-domains in novel bat genomes

ExTRaCT is a gene search pipeline that identifies APOBEC3 Z-domains in novel bat genomes with high accuracy and efficiency.

Genomic comparisons shed light on the adaptive basis of brain size plasticity and chromosomal instability in the Eurasian common shrew

The paper identifies genomic and transcriptomic changes associated with chromosomal instability and seasonal brain size plasticity in the Eurasian common shrew.

Gene expression reveals the pancreas of Aselli as a critical organ for plasma cell differentiation in the common shrew

The paper analyzes gene expression in the pancreas of Aselli of the common shrew to assess its role in plasma cell differentiation and compares it to spleen and bursa of Fabricius.

Developmental bias explains the evolutionary trend towards simple leaf shapes

The paper shows that developmental bias, not natural selection, drives the evolutionary trend towards simpler leaf shapes in angiosperms.

Gene expression comparisons between captive and wild shrew brains reveal captivity effects

The paper compares gene expression in captive and wild shrew brains, finding hundreds of differentially expressed genes linked to neurodegenerative pathways and ribosomal proteins.

Human and bats genome robustness under COSMIC mutational signatures

The paper develops a mutation simulator to assess genome robustness under COSMIC mutational signatures, finding higher resilience in human and bat genomes to APOBEC-related mutations.

Seasonal and comparative evidence of adaptive gene expression in mammalian brain size plasticity

This study identifies seasonal gene expression changes in shrew hypothalamus linked to brain size plasticity and compares them to human neurological disorders.

Dynamic metabolic and molecular changes during seasonal shrinking in Sorex araneus

The paper examines metabolic and molecular changes in Sorex araneus during seasonal shrinkage, identifying shifts in oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid metabolism, and FOXO signaling.

Insights into mammalian TE diversity via the curation of 248 mammalian genome assemblies

The paper curates TE content in 248 mammalian genomes, finding trends in recent TE accumulation and associations with dietary habits.

Evolutionary potential of the monkeypox genome arising from interactions with human APOBEC3 enzymes

The paper analyzes APOBEC3-driven mutagenesis in monkeypox virus genomes, finding over-representation of TC hotspots and under-representation of GC hotspots, suggesting potential for future human APOBEC3-mediated evolution.

Six new reference-quality bat genomes illuminate the molecular basis and evolution of bat adaptations

The paper generates six reference-quality bat genomes, identifies genomic adaptations related to echolocation, immunity, and viral tolerance, and reveals regulatory elements contributing to bat traits.

Targeted sequence capture outperforms RNA-Seq and degenerate-primer PCR cloning for sequencing the largest mammalian multi-gene family

The paper compares sequencing methods for recovering olfactory receptor genes in vampire bats, finding targeted sequence capture outperforms RNA-Seq and Sanger sequencing.

Evidence for multifactorial processes underlying phenotypic variation in bat visual opsins

The paper examines the genetic basis of visual opsin variation in bats, finding that loss of S-opsin occurs through disruptions at different stages of protein synthesis and is linked to ecological factors.