Thinking of doing a PhD at the interface of
Molecular & Evolutionary Biology?
The Research Training Group 2526 "Gene Regulation in Evolution“ (GenEvo), which is funded by the DFG (German Research Foundation), is offering projects on all levels of organismic complexity, from changes in genes and proteins to the evolution of symbiotic and parasitic behavior. As a GenEvo PhD student, you will join a community of passionate scientists who are applying a broad spectrum of methods on model and non-model organisms.
PhD position: Molecular mechanisms and evolution of sex determination in Hymenoptera (f/m/d)
Activities and responsibilities
PhD project: In the PhD Programme “Gene Regulation in Evolution”, Qiaowei (Miya) Pan, Hugo Darras, Claudia Keller Valsecchi, and René Ketting offer the following PhD project: Seeking ANTSR: Molecular mechanisms and evolution of sex determination in Hymenoptera
Background: Sex determination mechanisms are remarkably variable across animal species, yet research remains scarce on primary sex determination genes beyond model organisms. Haplodiploidy is a sex determination system in which females are diploid, and males are haploid. This system has evolved repeatedly and occurs in approximately 12% of animal species, including all Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies), many of which possess significant ecological and economic value. Despite the prevalence of haplodiploidy, its molecular mechanisms have been only described in three taxa, each employing distinctly different operational machinery: honey bees, Nasonia parasitic wasps, and the Argentine ant. In honey bees, a multiallelic gene governs sex determination through differential protein binding affinity (Otte et al. 2023). In contrast, in Nasonia parasitic wasps, sex is determined via maternal imprinting (Zou et al. 2020). Our recent work reveals that a hyper-polymorphic region determines sex through allele complementarity in the Argentine ant: heterozygous embryos develop into females, while homozygous and hemizygous embryos develop into males (Pan et al. 2024). Heterozygosity at this locus correlates with higher expression of ANTSR, a gene that specifies a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) transcript and triggers female development. Interestingly, in contrast to the master sex-determining genes of honey bees and Nasonia that are evolutionarily nascent, the hyper-polymorphic region containing ANTSR is ancestral to all modern ants and likely emerged before ants, bees, and stinging wasps diverged from other Hymenoptera. The regulatory mechanism responsible for the high expression of ANTSR in heterozygotes and the mode of action of this lncRNA are yet unknown.
PhD project description: The goal of this PhD project is to explore the molecular regulation and evolutionary dynamic of ANSTR, an lncRNA mediating genetic sex determination in Argentine ants. The recent discovery of ANSTR adds to a growing body of evidence that lncRNAs contribute to various essential developmental processes (Valsecchi et al. 2021, Wittkopp et al. 2024), but its evolutionary history and mode of action are yet unclear.
In this project, you will employ comparative genomics approaches to capture the functions and evolutionary dynamics of ANTSR and the hyper-polymorphic region it is associated with among Hymenoptera. In parallel, you will use functional genomics, molecular, and proteomics techniques to investigate the mechanisms of this newly discovered master sex regulator (Bopp, Saccone, and Beye 2014; Wexler et al. 2019). This project will provide the first insights into how sex determination evolves over evolutionary time scales in haplodiploid systems.
Qualification profile
Are you an ambitious, young scientist looking to
push the boundaries of research while interacting with colleagues from
multiple disciplines and cultures? Then joining GenEvo is your opportunity to give
your scientific career a flying start!
All you need is:
- Master or equivalent
- Motivation to contribute to the forefront of science in molecular and evolutionary biology
- Interactive personality & good command of English
- 2 letters of reference
The deadline for applications is 15 July 2024. Interviews will take place on 9-10 September 2024. Starting date will be 1 January 2025.
For more details on the projects offered and how to apply via our online form, please visit
https://www.genevo-rtg.de/applicationWe offer
- Exciting, interdisciplinary projects in a vividly international environment, with English as our working language
- Advanced training in scientific techniques and professional skills
- Access to state-of-the-art Core Facilities and their technical expertise
- 14 funded PhD positions (employment contract)
- A lively community of 34 PhD students supported by 28 Principal Investigators
- Collaboration with the International PhD Programme (IPP) at IMB with more than 200 PhD students from 40 different countries
Within the programme the Faculty of Biology of Mainz University (JGU) and the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) collaborate - both
modern research institutions located on the bustling campus of Mainz University in Germany. With a population of 210,000, of which about 40,000 are students, the city of
Mainz is
charming and
open-minded and within easy reach of cosmopolitan
Frankfurt and its international airport, the Rhine valley region with its
castles, vineyards, and nature reserves, and the equally picturesque cities of Wiesbaden and Heidelberg.