Robert W. Lee | Adjunct Professor | Department of Biology | Dalhousie University | 1355 Oxford Street | Halifax, Nova Scotia
tel: 902-494-2554 | fax: 902-494-3736 | email: robert.lee@dal.ca
Evolution of organelle genetic systems in green algae.
Research Summary
The main focus of our research is to study the evolution of organelle (mitochondrial and plastid) genetic systems in green algae (Chlorophyta). In particular, we are interested in identifying the factors and mechanisms contributing to the five-fold variation in gene content and the apparent structural diversity of the mitochondrial genome (circular, linear, fragmented linear) in different lineages from this group. Moreover, using nucleus-encoded gene sequence (expressed sequence tag or EST) data we are deducing the functions of plastids from the Chlorophyta that have over evolutionary time lost a capacity for photosynthesis and become colorless.
Lab News
September 2009
Dr. Jimeng Hua has joined our lab as a Postdoctoral fellow.
May 2008
Kabir Bhanot has joined our lab as an Honours BSc student.
September 2007
David Smith received a President's Award from Dalhousie University.
September 2007
Ryan Holloway has joined our lab as an Honours BSc student.
September 2007
Tudor Borza, a postdoctoral fellow in our lab for several years, has moved next door to join the Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development Program (CGP): a Genome Atlantic project. Tudor is still maintaining an active collaboration with our lab.
July 2007
Dr. Robert Lee has retired from his full time position in the Biology Dept., however, he will maintain research activity as an Adjunct Professor until 2012.
April 2007
David Smith has received a prestigious Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS) for each of the following three years. The Government of Canada established these scholarships to provide financial support to the most outstanding eligible students pursuing graduate studies in a Canadian university.
Recent Publications
Smith, D.R. (2009) Unparalleled
GC content in the plastid DNA of Selaginella.
Plant Mol.
Biol.
71:627-639.
View PDF.
This work was conducted in the laboratory
of R.W. Lee and supported by his
NSERC grant.
Borza, T., Redmond, E.K., Laflamme, M. and Lee R.W. (2009) Mitochondrial DNA in the Oogamochlamys-clade (Chlorophyceae): high GC content and unique genome architecture for green algae. J. Phycol. 45:1323-1334. View PDF.
Smith, D.R. and Lee, R.W. (2009) Nucleotide diversity of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii plastid genome: addressing the mutational-hazard hypothesis. BMC Evolutionary Biology 9:120. View PDF.
Smith, D.R. and Lee, R.W. (2009) The mitochondrial and plastid genomes of Volvox carteri: bloated molecules rich in repetitive DNA. BMC Genomics 10:132. View PDF.
Smith, D.R. and Lee, R.W. (2008) Nucleotide diversity in the mitochondrial and nuclear compartments of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: investigating the origins of genome architecture. BMC Evolutionary Biology 8:156. View PDF.
Smith, D.R., Lee, R.W. (2008) Mitochondrial genome of the colorless green alga Polytomella capuana: a linear molecule with an unprecedented GC content. Mol. Biol. Evol. 25:487-496. View PDF.
Koziol, A.G., Borza, T., Ishida, K.-I., Keeling, P., Lee, R.W. and D.G. Durnford (2007) Tracing the evolution of the light-harvesting antennae in chlorophyll a/b-containing organisms. Plant Phys. 143:1-15. View PDF.
Popescu, C.E and Lee, R.W. (2007) Mitochondrial genome sequence evolution in Chlamydomonas. Genetics 175:819-826. View PDF.
Nedelcu, A. M.1, Borza, T 1. and Lee, R.W. (2006) A Plant-Specific Multigene Family in the Unicellar Mesostigma Argues for Its Close Relationship to Streptophyta. Mol. Biol. Evol. 23:1011-1015.1 These authors contributed equally to this work. View PDF.
Popescu, C.E., Borza, T., Bielawski, J.P. and Lee, R.W. (2006) Evolutionary rates and expression level in Chlamydomonas. Genetics. 172: 1567-1576. View PDF.
Mallet, M.A. and Lee, R.W. (2006) Identification of three distinct Polytomella lineages based on mitochondrial DNA features. J. Euk. Microbiol. 53: 79-84. View PDF.
Keeling, P.J., Burger, G., Durnford, D.G., Lang, B.F., Lee, R.W., Pearlman, R.E., Roger, A. J. and Gray, M.W. (2005) The tree of eukaryotes. Trends Ecol. Evol. 20: 670-676. View PDF.
Borza, T., Popescu, C.E. and Lee, RW. (2005) Multiple metabolic roles for the nonphotosynthetic plastid of the green alga Prototheca wickerhamii. Euk. Cell 4:253-261. View PDF.