Sonja C. Vernes

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.

The paper compares snRNA-seq data across species to identify cellular differences in the striatum, finding novel interneuron types in bats and differences in neuron-to-glia ratios between primates and non-primates.

The paper identifies bats as a hotspot for horizontal transfer of DNA transposons, finding over 200 putative elements and shared transposons across mammals and reptiles.

The paper summarizes methods and lessons from assembling 16 vertebrate genomes, highlights the importance of long-read sequencing, and introduces the Vertebrate Genomes Project to generate complete reference genomes for all vertebrate species.

This study uses DNA methylation profiles from bats to show that age and longevity are linked to specific methylation patterns, with longevity associated with immune and cancer-related genes.

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.