Pajic & @gokcumenlab.bsky.social synthesize the evolution of VNTRs in mammals, including mutational mechanisms and selective forces driving their evolution, and propose a theoretical framework for their persistence through evolutionary tradeoffs. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf250 #genome #evolution

New review from @gokcumenlab.bsky.social led by Petar Pajic on VNTRs. If you’re interested in VNTRs, this is a very nice synthesis. academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...

academic.oup.com/gbe/article/... 🦷🦷 #TEETH 🥛🥛 #MILK 💧💧 #SALIVA❗️

Our preprint, "Read mismapping from segmental duplications drives spurious trans associations," is out! We argue that both RNA and DNA read mismapping can lead to false signals in QTLs, Hi-C, GWAS, and gene co-expression. And there is a way to identify them! Link: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

What have 🦷🦷 #TEETH 🦷🦷, 🥛 #MILK 🥛, and💧💧 #SALIVA 💧💧to do with each other? Ask PetarPajic, Luane Landau, and Omer Gokcumen @gokcumenlab.bsky.social ❗️ academic.oup.com/gbe/article-...

Pajic, @gokcumenlab.bsky.social @spit-lab.bsky.social et al. explored the evolution of saliva-related SCPP genes, observing extensive diversification of SCPP genes within mammals, driven by gene duplications and losses. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf165 #genome #evolution #primates

New paper with @spit-lab.bsky.social @genomebiolevol.bsky.social - Bottom-line: genes that encode secreted saliva genes evolve pretty fast and gene duplications/deletions are mostly the culprit. academic.oup.com/gbe/advance-...

✨ 1 of the proudest achievements of the lab. the sex- and diet-dependent effects of an ancient deletion (>Neanderthal–human divergence) in the 3rd conserved exon of GHR (GHRd3). growth, resistance to hunger, and metabolism. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #BioRenderForGrants #ScienceAdvances

Such a great talk this morning on primate amylase evolution by @evobioclio.bsky.social #ESEB2025

Postdoctoral Research Associate sought for lipid biology and evolutionary genomics project. Ideal candidates in cell biology or bioinformatics; must be eager to learn interdisciplinary skills. Contact Dr. Ekin Atilla-Gokcumen: [email protected]. More info: https://atillalab.org/ #postdoc

Our latest preprint explores the evolution of the primate amylase locus, uncovering structural innovations, regulatory shifts and molecular convergence. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Very nice comparative study led @evobioclio.bsky.social from @gokcumenlab.bsky.social, using the the primate amylase locus to reveal how structural and regulatory modularity in complex genomic regions drives evolutionary innovation and molecular convergence 🧪🧬 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

❗️❗️❗️👄👄 #MOUTH 👄👄 🦷🦷 #TEETH 🦷🦷 💧💧 #SALIVA 💧💧🦠🦠 #MICROBIOME🦠🦠 🍭🍭 #glycotime 🍭🍭 ❗️❗️❗️ ❗️We are hiring❗️Check out this full-time tenure track academic faculty position in the #UBSDM's Department of Oral Biology. ms.spr.ly/6045sKrT9

Check out our latest work co-led by @dcsoto.bsky.social and @jmuribescr.bsky.social identifying hundreds of human duplicated gene families using the new T2T-CHM13 assembly, with a focus on those potentially contributing to brain evolution 🧪: authors.elsevier.com/a/1lTQtL7PXu...

Outreach volunteers sought! @imprintedgene.bsky.social and I will host “Breaking Bread: Exploring the Evolution of Amylase in humans” at Festa Major de Gràcia, Barcelona (16 Aug, 19:00). We need 1-2 volunteers (ES/EN) for visitor guidance and on-site translation. Please DM or email me if interested.

Great write-up by Technology Networks on our recent work on switch-like gene expression in humans. It is short, clear, and just a 4-min read. If transcriptomic variation interests you, please give it a look! Write-up: www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/new... Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

University press release for our recent study, "Switch-like gene expression modulates disease risk," published in Nature Communications. Link to paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Happy to share our new study from my PhD on the spread of farming across Anatolia and into the Aegean and then into Europe. @compevohumang.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... 👇🏽

Excited to share that I’ve been selected as a Spring 2025 recipient of the DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics! Very grateful to the Genetics Society of America @genetics-gsa.bsky.social for their support.

New manuscript from the Gokcumen Lab! @gokcumenlab.bsky.social

Made it to Athens, GA for #Evol2025! Very excited to be attending my first in-person Evolution meeting. I'll be giving a talk on the evolution of the primate amylase locus and presenting a poster on our recent paper about the human amylase locus this Sunday. DM me if you want to catch up!