Assistant Professor of Biology
MAJOR AREA: Evolutionary Developmental Biology, Genetics
OFFICE: B09E Life Science
PHONE: 817-272-1383
LAB: B09A
PHONE: 817-272-0693
FAX: 817-272-2855
apires@uta.edu

I am mainly interested in how developmental pathways evolve. Research in a number of laboratories has established that many developmental pathways are shared by a wide variety of phyla. Less clear is how new pathways appear during evolution, what is the pattern of evolution of existing pathways, and what are the evolutionary forces that shape these pathways.

My research concentrates on sex determination, which is one of the fastest evolving developmental pathways. By comparing the already characterized sex determination of Caenorhabditis elegans with that of the more distantly related nematode Pristionchus pacificus, I want to gain insights into how this pathway is evolving. Are the genes involved in sex determination different between these species? If this is the case, were they recruited from other pathways or are they newly evolved genes? Nematodes are ideal for comparative work because of their diversity in sex determination systems, prolific life style, ease handling in the laboratory and amenability for genetic studies. To tackle these questions, I am in the process of isolating and identifying mutations that affect sex determination in P. pacificus. The establishment of an integrated physical and genetic map and the genome sequencing has recently greatly enhanced P. pacificus as a model for comparative studies.