Nicola Illing | Evolution of Development

My primary research interest is to use the tools of modern genetics to unravel the answers to interesting evolutionary biology questions, using examples from the rich biological landscape of southern Africa.   Genetic analysis of organisms that are currently alive can be used to delve into the past, for example, understanding how flight evolved in bats  50 million years ago.  Similarly, we are using next generation sequencing technology to understand how vegetative desiccation tolerance evolved in flowering plants and the genetic basis for the recent (i.e. in the last 5-8 million years) radiation of the morphologically diverse Ruschioideae family, which consists of more than 1600 succulent plant species. 

1. Eckalbar WL , Schlebusch SA,  Mason MK, Gill Z, Parker AV,  Booker  BM, Nishizaki S,  Muswamba-Nday C, Terhune  E, Nevonen  K,  Makki N,   Friedrich T, VanderMeer JE, Pollard KS, Carbone L, Wall JD, Illing N, Ahituv N. (2016) Epigenomic and transcriptomic characterization of the developing bat wing. Nature Genetics. doi:10.1038/ng.3537
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3. Breen MS, Uhlmann A, Nday CM, Glatt SJ, Mitt M, Metsalpu A, Stein DJ, Illing N (2016) Candidate gene networks and blood biomarkers of methamphetamine-associated psychosis: an integrative RNA-sequencing report. Translational Psychiatry. 6:e802. doi: 10.1038/tp.2016.67
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5. Booker B, Friedrich T, Mason MK, VanderMeer JE, Zhao J, Eckalbar WL, Logan M, Illing N, Pollard KS, Ahituv N. (2016) Bat accelerated regions identify a bat forelimb specific enhancer in the HoxD locus, PLoS Genetics. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1005738
6. Mason MK, Hockman D, Curry L, Cunningham TJ, Duester G, Logan M, Jacobs DS, and Illing N (2015) Retinoic acid-independent expression of Meis2 during autopod patterning in the developing bat and mouse limb. EvoDevo 10.1186/s13227-015-0001-y
7. Lyall R, Ingle RA and Illing N (2014) The Window of Desiccation Tolerance Shown by Early-Stage Germinating Seedlings Remains Open in the Resurrection Plant, Xerophyta viscosa. PLoS ONE 9(3): e93093
8. Tonnabel J, Mignot A, Douzery EJ, Rebelo AG, Schurr FM, Midgley J, Illing N, Justy F, Orcel D, and Olivieri I (2014) Convergent and correlated evolution of major life-history traits in the angiosperm genus Leucadendron (proteaceae). Evolution.68(10):2775-92. doi: 10.1111/evo.12480.
9. Schlebusch S, Illing N. 2012. Next Generation Shotgun Sequencing and the challenges of de Novo Genome Assembly. SA J Science. 108: 8 pages http:// dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajs. v108i11/12.1256
10. Ravasi DF, O'Riain MJ, Davids F, Illing N (2012) Phylogenetic Evidence That Two Distinct Trichuris Genotypes Infect both Humans and Non-Human Primates. PLoS ONE 7(8): e44187. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0044187

Postdoctoral fellows
Dorit Hockman

Students
Rafe Lyall (PhD; co-supervised by Dr Robert Ingle, Dept Molecular and Cell Biology)
Stephen Schlebusch (PhD; co-supervised by Dr Jeff Wall, UCSF)
Evan Milborrow (MSc)
Ash Parker (MSc)