Professor Aaron Vogan
University of Uppsala, Sweden
Biography
Associate professor at Uppsala University, Sweden. Interested broadly in genomics with a focus on the impact that selfish genetic elements have on evolution. The lab has two main focuses, the first is on a large family of toxin/antidote genes named Spoks (for Spore killers). We are working to understand their mechanism of action, and their influence on the origin, maintenance, and spread of accessory chromosomes in pathogenic fungi. The second revolves around our discovery of a novel type of massive transposable element that we named Starships. These TEs mobilize thousands of fungal genes among species of Pezizomycotina, contributing to intraspecific genomic variation. Additionally, they are likely able to jump between individual strains, including those of different species or even greater taxonomic distances. Together, this suggests that the Starships function analogously to bacterial integrative and conjugative mobile elements, with important implications for fungal adaptation and evolution.