Featured Publications
The durability of immunity against reinfection by SARS-CoV-2: a comparative evolutionary study
Townsend JP, Hassler HB, Wang Z, Miura S, Singh J, Kumar S, Ruddle NH, Galvani AP, Dornburg A. The durability of immunity against reinfection by SARS-CoV-2: a comparative evolutionary study. The Lancet Microbe 2021, 2: e666-e675. PMID: 34632431, PMCID: PMC8486316, DOI: 10.1016/s2666-5247(21)00219-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsDurability of immunitySARS-CoV-2Human-infecting coronavirusesProbability of reinfectionAntibody levelsMERS-CoVSARS-CoVLong-term immune responsePeak antibody responsePublic health decision makingCOVID-19 pandemic continuesEndemic conditionsCOVID-19 morbidityPublic health measuresVirus SARS-CoVHealth decision makingOptical density levelsDevastating COVID-19 pandemicAntibody declineLikely reinfectionAntibody responseEndemic coronavirusesHCoV-NL63Immune responseHuman coronavirusesOptimal Rates for Phylogenetic Inference and Experimental Design in the Era of Genome-Scale Data Sets
Dornburg A, Su Z, Townsend JP. Optimal Rates for Phylogenetic Inference and Experimental Design in the Era of Genome-Scale Data Sets. Systematic Biology 2018, 68: 145-156. PMID: 29939341, DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syy047.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPhylogenetic experimental designOptimal rateExperimental design decisionsGenome-scale data setsTheoretical conditionsSite rate heterogeneityData setsComprehensive theoryAccurate predictionTheoryInferenceExperimental designPhylogenetic problemsOptimalityExistence of charactersPredictionRate heterogeneitySetPhylogenetic inferenceData scrutinyMolecular Biology and Evolution of Cancer: From Discovery to Action
Somarelli JA, Gardner H, Cannataro VL, Gunady EF, Boddy AM, Johnson NA, Fisk J, Gaffney SG, Chuang JH, Li S, Ciccarelli FD, Panchenko AR, Megquier K, Kumar S, Dornburg A, DeGregori J, Townsend JP. Molecular Biology and Evolution of Cancer: From Discovery to Action. Molecular Biology And Evolution 2019, 37: 320-326. PMID: 31642480, PMCID: PMC6993850, DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz242.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsConceptsEvolutionary processesMolecular evolutionary processesEvolution of cancerCancer cell populationsEcological nichesNew therapeutic modesCancer evolutionEcological theoryMolecular biologyCancer biologyCancer progressionSuite of conceptsCell populationsBiologyNicheEvolutionCirculatory systemDeeper understandingDiscoveryCancer
2022
Placing human gene families into their evolutionary context
Dornburg A, Mallik R, Wang Z, Bernal M, Thompson B, Bruford E, Nebert D, Vasiliou V, Yohe L, Yoder J, Townsend J. Placing human gene families into their evolutionary context. Human Genomics 2022, 16: 56. PMID: 36369063, PMCID: PMC9652883, DOI: 10.1186/s40246-022-00429-5.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHuman gene familyGene familyHuman genomeEvolutionary contextGene family evolutionNon-model organismsFirst human genomeGenome biologyComparative genomicsFamily evolutionDistant speciesDraft sequenceGenomic studiesGene expressionGenome sequencingSequence complexityGenomeCancer biologyUnprecedented insightsNovel discoveriesCritical roleOrganismsBiologyComparative approachFamilyA phylogenetic approach to study the evolution of somatic mutational processes in cancer
Miura S, Vu T, Choi J, Townsend JP, Karim S, Kumar S. A phylogenetic approach to study the evolution of somatic mutational processes in cancer. Communications Biology 2022, 5: 617. PMID: 35732905, PMCID: PMC9217972, DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03560-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMutational processesPattern of conservationFalse-positive discovery rateCollection of mutationsSomatic mutational processesPhylogenetic approachGenomic variationSomatic variationCell lineagesMutational signaturesTumor evolutionMutation signaturesPhylogenyCancer cellsDiscovery rateMutationsComputer-simulated datasetsRelative activityLineagesComputational methodsSignaturesConservationDivergenceEvolutionJoint analysis
2021
The somatic molecular evolution of cancer: Mutation, selection, and epistasis
Dasari K, Somarelli JA, Kumar S, Townsend JP. The somatic molecular evolution of cancer: Mutation, selection, and epistasis. Progress In Biophysics And Molecular Biology 2021, 165: 56-65. PMID: 34364910, PMCID: PMC8819680, DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2021.08.003.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCancer evolutionEpistatic interactionsNeutral mutation rateCancer progressionEvolution of neoplasmsSingle nucleotide variantsMolecular evolutionRate of fixationGenetic interactionsEvolutionary biologyPhylogenetic analysisCopy number aberrationsPhylogenetic relationsNeutral mutationsGenomic dataSelective pressureSynonymous mutationsMutation rateChromosomal instabilityPhenotypic changesLoss of heterozygosityFitness landscapeClonal deconvolutionTumor microenvironmentEnvironment interaction
2020
Comparative Genomics within and across Bilaterians Illuminates the Evolutionary History of ALK and LTK Proto-Oncogene Origination and Diversification
Dornburg A, Wang Z, Wang J, Mo ES, López-Giráldez F, Townsend JP. Comparative Genomics within and across Bilaterians Illuminates the Evolutionary History of ALK and LTK Proto-Oncogene Origination and Diversification. Genome Biology And Evolution 2020, 13: evaa228. PMID: 33196781, PMCID: PMC7851593, DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa228.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLeukocyte tyrosine kinaseEvolutionary historyPhylogenetic analysisProtein-coding genesComparative genomic analysisEarly embryonic expressionMetazoan genomesComparative genomicsPhylogenetic contextModel organismsEmbryonic expressionModel speciesHuman genesKey genesGenomic analysisImportant genesMammal systemsFunctional convergenceTyrosine kinaseMolecular homologyGenesFunctional roleVertebratesMammal modelsHomology
2018
Genomic Comparison Among Global Isolates of L. interrogans Serovars Copenhageni and Icterohaemorrhagiae Identified Natural Genetic Variation Caused by an Indel
Santos LA, Adhikarla H, Yan X, Wang Z, Fouts DE, Vinetz JM, Alcantara LCJ, Hartskeerl RA, Goris MGA, Picardeau M, Reis MG, Townsend JP, Zhao H, Ko AI, Wunder EA. Genomic Comparison Among Global Isolates of L. interrogans Serovars Copenhageni and Icterohaemorrhagiae Identified Natural Genetic Variation Caused by an Indel. Frontiers In Cellular And Infection Microbiology 2018, 8: 193. PMID: 29971217, PMCID: PMC6018220, DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00193.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSerovar CopenhageniPublic health relevanceSevere casesSerogroup IcterohaemorrhagiaeSerovar IcterohaemorrhagiaeWorldwide zoonosisHealth relevanceIcterohaemorrhagiaeCopenhageniVirulent strainHigh discriminatory powerSerovarsGlobal isolatesFrameshift mutationDiscriminatory powerFirst studyPathogenic speciesIsolates
2017
Light sensing by opsins and fungal ecology: NOP‐1 modulates entry into sexual reproduction in response to environmental cues
Wang Z, Wang J, Li N, Li J, Trail F, Dunlap JC, Townsend JP. Light sensing by opsins and fungal ecology: NOP‐1 modulates entry into sexual reproduction in response to environmental cues. Molecular Ecology 2017, 27: 216-232. PMID: 29134709, PMCID: PMC5797489, DOI: 10.1111/mec.14425.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAmino Acid SequenceConserved SequenceEcological and Environmental PhenomenaFungal ProteinsGene Expression Regulation, FungalGene Knockout TechniquesGene Regulatory NetworksGenes, FungalLightModels, BiologicalMultienzyme ComplexesNADH, NADPH OxidoreductasesNeurospora crassaOpsinsOxidation-ReductionOxidative StressPhenotypePhylogenyProtein Structure, SecondaryReproductionUp-RegulationConceptsNOP-1Opsin-like proteinFungal ecologyPlant-associated fungiRapid environmental changeOxidative stress responseKey amino acidsFungal genomesComparative transcriptomicsSexual reproductionOrganismal functionNeurospora crassaEnvironmental cuesGenetic basisSensory rhodopsinStress responseNAD/NADPTransmembrane movementRetinal binding siteGenesAmino acidsFungiEnvironmental changesSexual developmentOpsinChapter One Maximizing Power in Phylogenetics and Phylogenomics: A Perspective Illuminated by Fungal Big Data
Dornburg A, Townsend JP, Wang Z. Chapter One Maximizing Power in Phylogenetics and Phylogenomics: A Perspective Illuminated by Fungal Big Data. Advances In Genetics 2017, 100: 1-47. PMID: 29153398, DOI: 10.1016/bs.adgen.2017.09.007.ChaptersConceptsTree of lifeFungal evolutionary biologyGenomic-scale dataHundreds of lociGenome-scale analysisFungal phylogenomicsFungal treeSpecies delimitationPhenotypic diversificationFirst genomeEvolutionary biologyPhylogenetic treePhylogenetic inferencePhylogenetic analysisEntire genomeTree inferenceReview of considerationsEvolutionary problemsPhylogenomicsGenomeTreesLociCentral roleExperimental designBiodiversityThe ancestral levels of transcription and the evolution of sexual phenotypes in filamentous fungi
Trail F, Wang Z, Stefanko K, Cubba C, Townsend JP. The ancestral levels of transcription and the evolution of sexual phenotypes in filamentous fungi. PLOS Genetics 2017, 13: e1006867. PMID: 28704372, PMCID: PMC5509106, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006867.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGene expressionFilamentous fungiCommon garden environmentBody developmentWide gene expressionGene expression phenotypesGene deletion studiesGene expression measurementsMulticellular developmentDivergent speciesSexual phenotypeGene familyEvolved increasesDivergent morphologyKnockout phenotypesAncestral levelsWhole genomeGarden environmentExpression phenotypesDeletion studiesRelevant genesPhenotypic analysisDevelopmental stagesExpression measurementsBody morphologyNew insights on the sister lineage of percomorph fishes with an anchored hybrid enrichment dataset
Dornburg A, Townsend JP, Brooks W, Spriggs E, Eytan RI, Moore JA, Wainwright PC, Lemmon A, Lemmon EM, Near TJ. New insights on the sister lineage of percomorph fishes with an anchored hybrid enrichment dataset. Molecular Phylogenetics And Evolution 2017, 110: 27-38. PMID: 28254474, DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.02.017.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPreface
Townsend JP, Wang Z. Preface. Advances In Genetics 2017, 100: xi-xii. PMID: 29153406, DOI: 10.1016/s0065-2660(17)30059-7.Chapters
2016
PhyInformR: phylogenetic experimental design and phylogenomic data exploration in R
Dornburg A, Fisk JN, Tamagnan J, Townsend JP. PhyInformR: phylogenetic experimental design and phylogenomic data exploration in R. BMC Ecology And Evolution 2016, 16: 262. PMID: 27905871, PMCID: PMC5134231, DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0837-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsParallel processingOpen-source software packageBayesian posterior distributionLack of softwareOpen-source programPhylogenetic experimental designProbability of resolutionUser hardwareData explorationData visualizationNext-generation sequence datasetsInformation contentSource programNovel visualizationPosterior distributionBayesian settingAdditional sample dataPower usersDataset partitionsBayesian approachSequence data setsSoftware packageDatasetGenomic information contentSoftwarePhyloOncology: Understanding cancer through phylogenetic analysis
Somarelli JA, Ware KE, Kostadinov R, Robinson JM, Amri H, Abu-Asab M, Fourie N, Diogo R, Swofford D, Townsend JP. PhyloOncology: Understanding cancer through phylogenetic analysis. Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Reviews On Cancer 2016, 1867: 101-108. PMID: 27810337, PMCID: PMC9583457, DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2016.10.006.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsMeSH KeywordsAdaptation, PhysiologicalAlgorithmsAnimalsBiomarkers, TumorCell Transformation, NeoplasticEvolution, MolecularGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticGenetic FitnessGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseGenomicsHeredityHumansModels, GeneticMutationNeoplasmsPedigreePhenotypePhylogenySignal TransductionSystems BiologyTime FactorsConceptsDr. Robert A. GatenbyGenome-scale dataSystems biology approachPowerful systems biology approachUse of phylogeneticsPhylogenetic analysisBiology approachPhylogenetic applicationsSubclonal evolutionCancer biologyCancer progressionSuite of algorithmsPhylogeneticsCancer data setsCancer samplesImproved therapeutic interventionRobust approachDecades of researchFundamental insightsNew toolBiologyDiverse fieldsGatenbyData setsTherapeutic interventionsEarly and multiple origins of metastatic lineages within primary tumors
Zhao ZM, Zhao B, Bai Y, Iamarino A, Gaffney SG, Schlessinger J, Lifton RP, Rimm DL, Townsend JP. Early and multiple origins of metastatic lineages within primary tumors. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2016, 113: 2140-2145. PMID: 26858460, PMCID: PMC4776530, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1525677113.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMetastatic lineagesGenetic changesEarly genetic divergenceMolecular evolutionary modelsSingle genetic changeDivergent lineagesTumor phylogeneticsDivergence timesAncestral stateGenetic divergenceCancer lineagesPhylogenetic analysisEvolutionary processesLineagesCancer evolutionMultiple originsDriver genesCancer biologyCancer progressionSomatic mutationsTumor developmentEvolutionary modelsDriver mutationsChronogramMutations
2015
A comprehensive phylogeny of birds (Aves) using targeted next-generation DNA sequencing
Prum RO, Berv JS, Dornburg A, Field DJ, Townsend JP, Lemmon EM, Lemmon AR. A comprehensive phylogeny of birds (Aves) using targeted next-generation DNA sequencing. Nature 2015, 526: 569-573. PMID: 26444237, DOI: 10.1038/nature15697.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSolving the ecological puzzle of mycorrhizal associations using data from annotated collections and environmental samples – an example of saddle fungi
Hwang J, Zhao Q, Yang ZL, Wang Z, Townsend JP. Solving the ecological puzzle of mycorrhizal associations using data from annotated collections and environmental samples – an example of saddle fungi. Environmental Microbiology Reports 2015, 7: 658-667. PMID: 26033481, DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12303.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPotential plant hostsEnvironmental sequencesDiversity of ecologyEctomycorrhizal fungiEcological roleGenetic divergenceGeographic distributionUnculturable fungiPhylogenetic informativenessPlant hostsEcologyITS phylogenyITS sequencesRoot tipsEnvironmental samplesSpeciesMetagenomic investigationSequence alignmentHost typeHelvellaDiversityFungiDiversity of relationshipsSequenceSoilUtility of characters evolving at diverse rates of evolution to resolve quartet trees with unequal branch lengths: analytical predictions of long-branch effects
Su Z, Townsend JP. Utility of characters evolving at diverse rates of evolution to resolve quartet trees with unequal branch lengths: analytical predictions of long-branch effects. BMC Ecology And Evolution 2015, 15: 86. PMID: 25968460, PMCID: PMC4429678, DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0364-7.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsBayes TheoremBiological EvolutionComputer SimulationLikelihood FunctionsModels, GeneticPhylogenyConceptsGeneralized signalCorrect treeAnalytical predictionsNoise analysisDifferent inference methodsBayesian approachLength spaceInference methodsQuartet treesMaximum likelihoodSimulation studyBranch lengthsInferenceModel treePhylogenetic inferenceUtility of charactersAsymmetrical topologyLong-branch effectsConvergenceTopologyPredictionSpaceSignalsEvolution
2014
The peopling of the African continent and the diaspora into the new world
Campbell MC, Hirbo JB, Townsend JP, Tishkoff SA. The peopling of the African continent and the diaspora into the new world. Current Opinion In Genetics & Development 2014, 29: 120-132. PMID: 25461616, PMCID: PMC4308437, DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2014.09.003.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAfrican diasporaModern humansHuman historyHuman migrationNew WorldDemographic historyAfrican descentAfrican continentDemographic eventsHistoryDiasporaEvolutionary questionsAfrican populationsPhenotypic variationContinentGenomic dataAfricaGeographic originDisease susceptibilityPeoplingBirthplaceRecent findingsCorresponding developmentWorldComputational methods