William Jeffery

Professor
Affiliate Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics
Contact
Email: jeffery@umd.edu
Office Phone: 301.405.5202
Lab: 301.405.7377
Fax: 301.314.9358
Office Address: 2272 Bio-Psych
URL: http://www.life.umd.edu/labs/Jeffery
Teaching
Developmental Biology
Graduate Program Affiliations
Research Interests
I am interested in the evolution of development. Several different animals are used in my research. The teleost Astyanax mexicanus is a single species with eyed surface dwelling and blind cave dwelling forms. I want to understand the developmental and evolutionary mechanisms responsible for phenotypic changes in Astyanax cavefish. I am also interested in the ancestry of the neural crest and regeneration in chordates. For this research I use sea squirts (ascidians), especially Ciona intestinalis, which has a completely sequenced genome.
Recent Publications
Auger, H., Sasakura,Y., Joly, J-S., and W. R. Jeffery (2010). Regeneration of oral siphon pigment organs in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Develop. Biol.. 339: 374-389.
Yoshizawa, M., Goricki, S., Soares, D., and W. R. Jeffery (2010). Evolution of a behavioral shift mediated by superficial neuromasts helps cavefish find food in darkness. Curr. Biol. 20: 1631-1636.
Protas, M. and W. R. Jeffery (2012). Evolution and development of cave animals: From fish to crustaceans. WIREs Developmental Biology. 1: 823-845. doi: 10.1002/wdev.61
Gallo, N. D, and W. R. Jeffery (2012). Evolution of space dependent growth in the teleost Astyanax mexicanus. PLoS ONE 7(8) e41443. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041413
Jeffery, W. R. (2012). Siphon regeneration capacity is compromised during aging in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Mech. Aging Dev.
133: 629-636.
Yoshizawa, M., Yamamoto, Y., O' Quin, K. W., and W. R. Jeffery (2012). Evolution of an adaptive behavior and its sensory receptors promotes eye regression in blind cavefish. BMC Biology . 10:108 doi:10.1186/1741-7007-10-108.
Hinaux, H., Poulain, J. Da Silva, C., Noirot, C., Jeffery, W. R., Casane, D., and S. Retaux. (2013). De novo sequencing of Astyanax mexicanus surface fish and Pachon cavefish transcriptomes reveals reveal enrichment of mutations in putative cavefish eye genes. PLoS ONE 8:e53553..
Awards
Fellow AAAS, Fellow Linnean Societ, 2012 Alexander Kowalevsky Medal
Education
Ph.D., University of Iowa, 1971. Evolution of developmental mechanisms in chordates.
Affiliate Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics
Contact
Email: jeffery@umd.edu
Office Phone: 301.405.5202
Lab: 301.405.7377
Fax: 301.314.9358
Office Address: 2272 Bio-Psych
URL: http://www.life.umd.edu/labs/Jeffery
Teaching
Developmental Biology
Graduate Program Affiliations
- BISI - BISI-Molecular & Cellular Biology (MOCB)
- BISI - BISI-Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, & Systematics (BEES)
Research Interests
I am interested in the evolution of development. Several different animals are used in my research. The teleost Astyanax mexicanus is a single species with eyed surface dwelling and blind cave dwelling forms. I want to understand the developmental and evolutionary mechanisms responsible for phenotypic changes in Astyanax cavefish. I am also interested in the ancestry of the neural crest and regeneration in chordates. For this research I use sea squirts (ascidians), especially Ciona intestinalis, which has a completely sequenced genome.
Recent Publications
Auger, H., Sasakura,Y., Joly, J-S., and W. R. Jeffery (2010). Regeneration of oral siphon pigment organs in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Develop. Biol.. 339: 374-389.
Yoshizawa, M., Goricki, S., Soares, D., and W. R. Jeffery (2010). Evolution of a behavioral shift mediated by superficial neuromasts helps cavefish find food in darkness. Curr. Biol. 20: 1631-1636.
Protas, M. and W. R. Jeffery (2012). Evolution and development of cave animals: From fish to crustaceans. WIREs Developmental Biology. 1: 823-845. doi: 10.1002/wdev.61
Gallo, N. D, and W. R. Jeffery (2012). Evolution of space dependent growth in the teleost Astyanax mexicanus. PLoS ONE 7(8) e41443. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041413
Jeffery, W. R. (2012). Siphon regeneration capacity is compromised during aging in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Mech. Aging Dev.
133: 629-636.
Yoshizawa, M., Yamamoto, Y., O' Quin, K. W., and W. R. Jeffery (2012). Evolution of an adaptive behavior and its sensory receptors promotes eye regression in blind cavefish. BMC Biology . 10:108 doi:10.1186/1741-7007-10-108.
Hinaux, H., Poulain, J. Da Silva, C., Noirot, C., Jeffery, W. R., Casane, D., and S. Retaux. (2013). De novo sequencing of Astyanax mexicanus surface fish and Pachon cavefish transcriptomes reveals reveal enrichment of mutations in putative cavefish eye genes. PLoS ONE 8:e53553..
Awards
Fellow AAAS, Fellow Linnean Societ, 2012 Alexander Kowalevsky Medal
Education
Ph.D., University of Iowa, 1971. Evolution of developmental mechanisms in chordates.