Biology Seminar Series - Pat Edger, Michigan State University

The merger of divergent genomes into a single nucleus, whether through interspecific hybridization or allopolyploidization, frequently results in 'genomic shock.' This phenomenon induces a series of rapid genetic and epigenetic modifications, partly aimed at resolving conflicts between the parental subgenomes. This conflict routinely leads one subgenome to become dominant over the others, resulting in inherent biases in both gene content and expression. Recent advances in analyzing hybrid and polyploid genomes, particularly through comparative studies with extant parental progenitors, have allowed for major strides in understanding the mechanistic basis for subgenome dominance. Here, we describe recent discoveries toward uncovering these underlying mechanisms, providing a crucial framework to predict subgenome dominance in hybrids and allopolyploids, with far-reaching implications for agricultural, ecological, and evolutionary research. Dr. Patrick Edger is an Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University. Patrick received his PhD degree from the University of Missouri in 2012, and was a NSF National Plant Genome Initiative Postdoctoral Fellow at UC-Berkeley and University of Arizona from 2012-2015. He joined the Michigan State University faculty in Fall 2015. His lab leverages a diverse array of tools and a strong multidisciplinary approach, including comparative genomics, transcriptomics, and systems biology, to investigate gene family dynamics and the evolution of gene-gene interactions following gene and genome duplications. His current research focuses on uncovering the mechanistic basis of subgenome dominance in polyploid crops."