Dr. Austen Ganley
Senior Lecturer in Genetics and Evolution

Background

Associate Professor, National Institute of Genetics, Japan, 2007
Post-doctoral fellow, National Institute for Basic Biology, Japan, 2002-07
Post-doctoral fellow, Duke University, USA, 2000-02
Ph.D., Massey University, 1999
B.Sc. (Hons), Massey University, 1993

Research Interests

The biology and evolution of the ribosomal DNA repeats

The rDNA is the region of the genome that encodes the ribosomal RNA genes that help form the ribosome, and it is a fascinating place. In most eukaryotes it forms large repeat arrays, ranging in copy number from 10’s to 100,000’s, and each repeat unit consists of both gene coding regions and intergenic spacer regions. Its repetitive nature means that recombination between repeat copies often occurs, leading to dynamic changes in copy number through time. This recombination also gives the rDNA another of its unique features; a special form of evolution known as concerted evolution. Continual turnover by recombination means the rDNA repeats are maintained with the same sequence through time, and this pattern is known as concerted evolution. The intergenic spacer regions are packed with functional elements, including many that regulate this recombination. Other functional features in the spacers include rRNA promoters and terminators, origins of replication, cohesin and condensin binding sites, and non-coding promoters. Finally, the rDNA also influences many aspects of cell biology, including the cell cycle, cancer, and ageing.

I am interested in the biology and evolution of the rDNA repeats, and in particular how molecular processes in the cell influence the evolution of the rDNA. To study this, I use a combination of experimental molecular biology techniques and computational techniques, primarily in the model organism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker’s yeast). Current areas of interest include charatcterising the functional elements that regulate rDNA recombination, and the interrelationships between recombination, replication, transcription, and chromatin structure.

Students interested in these fields, including molecular evolution, molecular biology, and genomics, should feel free to contact me to discuss possible Ph.D. or M.Sc. projects.

Selected Publications

• Ganley, A.R.D. and T. Kobayashi. 2007. Highly efficient concerted evolution in the ribosomal DNA repeats: total rDNA repeat variation revealed by whole genome shotgun sequence data. Genome Research. 17:184-191

• Kobayashi, T. and A.R.D. Ganley. 2005 Recombination regulation by transcription-induced cohesin dissociation in rDNA repeats. Science. 309: 1581-1584

• Ganley, A.R.D., K. Hayashi, T. Horiuchi, and T. Kobayashi. 2005. Identifying gene-independent noncoding functional elements in the yeast ribosomal DNA by phylogenetic footprinting. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 102: 11787-11792

• Ganley, A.R.D., and B. Scott. 2002. Concerted evolution in the ribosomal RNA genes of an Epichloë endophyte hybrid: Comparison between tandemly-arranged rDNA and dispersed 5S rrn genes. Fungal Genetics and Biology, 35: 39-51.

• Ganley, A.R.D. and B. Scott. 1998. Extraordinary ribosomal spacer length heterogeneity in a Neotyphodium endophyte hybrid: Implications for concerted evolution. Genetics, 150: 1625-1637.