Functional and Evolutionary Genomics of Regulatory RNA

The recent advent of genomic information fostered by the invention of high-throughput sequencing has unveiled a plethora of regulatory molecules, including a large number of non-coding RNAs – RNA molecules little or no protein-coding potential. Many of these RNAs have important functions as modulators of gene expression.
In our group, we study the evolutionary dynamics of non-coding RNA molecules using a variety of plant and animal species with diverse evolutionary scales. We use bioinformatics and genomic data to understand the evolution of these molecules and the regulatory mechanisms in which they participate.

Research lines:

• Comparative genomics of syntenic regions that generate long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) to characterize their evolutionary dynamics.
• lncRNAs evolution in regeneration processes and embryonic development in plants and animals.
• Identification of functionally homologous structural modules in lncRNAs.
• Identification of lncRNAs associated to cardio-metabolic syndromes in Mexican human populations.

Recent projects:

• “International Rising Talents”. L’Oréal-UNESCO 2018.
• "The evolutionary dynamics of long non-coding RNAs and chromatin structure in plants". The Royal Society, Newton Advanced Fellowship 2017.
• “Validation of the existence of protein-binding domains in a long non-coding RNA.” L’Oréal-UNESCO-CONACYT-AMC Fellowships for Women in Science, Mexico (2016).

Most relevant publications:

• 1. Pluripotency and the origin of animal multicellularity. Nature 570, 519–522, 2019. – In press.
• 2. Diverse RNA interference strategies in early-branching metazoans. bioRxiv 2018, 284349.
• 3. Landscape of histone modifications in a sponge reveals the origin of animal cis-regulatory complexity. eLife I10.7554/eLife.22194, 2017.
• 4. The crown-of-thorns starfish genome as a guide for biocontrol of this coral reef pest. Nature 544:231-234, 2017.
• Bilaterian-like promoters in the highly compact Amphimedon queenslandica genome. 5. Scientific Reports 6:22496, 2016.
• The mid-developmental transition and the evolution of animal body plans. Nature 531:637-641, 2016.

Recent publications:

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