Maria Emilia Santos

The paper analyzes 1,375 Malawi cichlid genomes to show that sex-linked chromosomal inversions drive adaptive speciation through introgression and selection on neuro-sensory, physiological, and reproductive genes.

The paper investigates the dynamic co-evolution of transposable elements and the piRNA pathway in African cichlid fishes, revealing expanded piwil1 genes and divergent piRNA-producing loci.

The paper investigates genetic and developmental divergence in the neural crest programme between cichlid fish species, identifying sox10 paralogs as key drivers of morphological differences.

The paper investigates egg-spot formation in Astatotilapia calliptera, showing plasticity in initiation timing and cell-autonomous interactions between iridophores and xanthophores.

The paper uses a pangenomic approach to analyze Lake Malawi cichlid genomes, revealing extensive structural variation driven by transposable elements.

The study identifies a single giant cell responsible for developing a key innovation in water striders, showing its role in activating cuticular genes and being restricted by Hox genes to mid-legs.

This study compares embryogenesis in three Malawi cichlid species to show that species-specific developmental differences emerge early, contributing to morphological divergence.

The paper investigates epigenetic divergence in two ecomorphs of Astatotilapia calliptera, finding methylome differences linked to ecological adaptation and showing that these differences can be inherited across generations.

This study uses CRISPR/Cas9 to edit the oca2 gene in Astatotilapia calliptera, demonstrating efficient germline transmission and phenotypic effects on melanin synthesis.

The paper examines methylome and transcriptome divergence in Lake Malawi cichlid fishes, finding links between epigenetic changes and ecological adaptation.

The paper presents the milkweed bug genome and comparative analyses to study molecular evolution and feeding ecology in Hemiptera.

The paper reports the sequencing and manual annotation of the Gerris buenoi genome, identifying gene expansions linked to adaptations for aquatic life.