Kristen Panfilio

I am the Professor of Molecular Genetics in the Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Germany. My lab has the twin aims of understanding the cell and tissue basis of animal development, primarily through advanced live cell imaging approaches, and of elucidating the regulatory basis for species-specific development and physiology, through the framework of functional genetics, comparative 'omics, and molecular evolution. Our primary research system is the protective extraembryonic (EE) tissues of insects: the serosa and amnion. These fascinating tissues are a synapomorphy of the insects, are essential for development, and have been implicated in the radiation and evolutionary success of the insect lineage. Studying epithelial tissue biology in this system allows for a natural integration that spans macroevolution, developmental genetics, cellular physiology, and tissue morphogenesis. In particular, live imaging of EE morphogenesis is addictive, and I love playing with all sorts of microscopes and (slowly!) developing new transgenic imaging lines. I've also become a genome junkie, and have been active since 2012 in the international i5K community for de novo genome sequencing and comparative genomics in arthropods. This has begun to stretch our research foci to post-embryonic eco-evo-devo phenomena as well. Additional key words: cell/ tissue architecture; RNAi; red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum); milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus); transcription factors; lineage-specific genes