Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SELECTHAPLOID (Testing the Evolutionary Consequences of Haploid Selection in Animals)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-01-01 bis 2023-06-30
Our project aims to understand the processes and mechanisms of selection that male gametes (sperm) are undergoing prior to fertilisation and how environmental factors may contribute to maintaining genetic variation at genes that are expressed in sperm. We use a range of organisms with a focus on zebrafish. We combine experimental work with genomics, transcriptomics to understand the link between sperm phenotype and genotype. The findings from this project have direct implications for human fertility and reproduction.
We ran a series of experiments and performed large-scale sequencing on tissues, as well as single cells to answer the questions about gene expression at the haploid sperm stage. Results are currently under NDA and cannot be disclosed in public.
We expanded our research into other organisms including a range of mammals in order to obtain a better understanding of the general patterns of haploid selection across species.