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Professor Kristen Panfilio

Job Title
Honorary Professorial Fellow
Department
Life Sciences
Phone
024 765 73527
Research Interests

The Panfilio Lab focuses on embryonic development in insects to investigate both (a) epithelial tissue morphogenesis and (b) molecular evolution and comparative genomics on macroevolutionary timescales.

Our research on morphogenesis - the creation of form - explores how the fertilized egg develops the correct organismal shape, and how strategies differ between species. Which features are robust, and which are sensitive to perturbation and could result in birth defects? To actively protect the embryo, the insect extraembryonic tissues exhibit many epithelial remodeling behaviors that are typical of animal development. We explore their activity and genetic regulation through functional, live cell imaging investigations, primarily in the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum.

At the same time, we focus on the milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus, as an experimentally tractable model for comparative investigations centered on the Hemiptera, the largest order of hemimetabolous insects. The Hemiptera, including medical and agricultural pests such as bed bugs and aphids, are diverse but poorly studied. Recent genome sequencing now allows us to investigate the genetic basis of what makes a bug, a bug.

Overall, our main aim is to understand the regulatory control that strikes a balance between the evolution of species-specific features and robust development and organismal function.

Biography

2007: Ph.D., University of Cambridge, Department of Zoology (UK)

2002: M.Phil., University of Cambridge, Department of Zoology (UK)

2001: B.A., Swarthmore College, Biology Department (USA)

British Society for Developmental Biology: member, from Mar. 2017

German Society for Developmental Biology (Gesellschaft für Entwicklungsbiologie) member, from Dec. 2014

European Society for Evolutionary Developmental Biology: member, from Aug. 2006

Title Funder Award start Award end
Functional significance and remodeling challenges of polyploidy across the lifetime of epithelial tissues (BBSRC Responsive mode) BBSRC 07 Jan 2021 31 Dec 2024

All authors for Enhanced genome assembly and a new official gene set for Tribolium castaneum

Herndon, Nicolae, Shelton, Jennifer, Gerischer, Lizzy, Ioannidis, Panos, Ninova, Maria, Dönitz, Jürgen, Waterhouse, Robert M, Liang, Chun, Damm, Carsten, Siemanowski, Janna, Kitzmann, Peter, Ulrich, Julia, Dippel, Stefan, Oberhofer, Georg, Hu, Yonggang, Schwirz, Jonas, Schacht, Magdalena, Lehmann, Sabrina, Montino, Alice, Posnien, Nico, Gurska, Daniela, Horn, Thorsten, Seibert, Jan, Vargas Jentzsch, Iris M, Panfilio, Kristen A., Li, Jianwei, Wimmer, Ernst A, Stappert, Dominik, Roth, Siegfried, Schröder, Reinhard, Park, Yoonseong, Schoppmeier, Michael, Chung, Ho-Ryun, Klingler, Martin, Kittelmann, Sebastian, Friedrich, Markus, Chen, Rui, Altincicek, Boran, Vilcinskas, Andreas, Zdobnov, Evgeny, Griffiths-Jones, Sam, Ronshaugen, Matthew, Stanke, Mario, Brown, Sue J., Bucher, Gregor

All authors for Genome-enabled insights into the biology of thrips as crop pests

Rotenberg, Dorith, Baumann, Aaron A., Ben-Mahmoud, Sulley, Christiaens, Olivier, Dermauw, Wannes, Ioannidis, Panagiotis, Jacobs, Chris G. C., Vargas Jentzsch, Iris M., Oliver, Jonathan E., Poelchau, Monica F., Rajarapu, Swapna Priya, Schneweis, Derek J., Snoeck, Simon, Taning, Clauvis N. T., Wei, Dong, Widana Gamage, Shirani M. K., Hughes, Daniel S. T., Murali, Shwetha C., Bailey, Samuel T., Bejerman, Nicolas E., Holmes, Christopher J., Jennings, Emily C., Rosendale, Andrew J., Rosselot, Andrew, Hervey, Kaylee, Schneweis, Brandi A., Cheng, Sammy, Childers, Christopher, Simão, Felipe A., Dietzgen, Ralf G., Chao, Hsu, Dinh, Huyen, Doddapaneni, Harsha Vardhan, Dugan, Shannon, Han, Yi, Lee, Sandra L., Muzny, Donna M., Qu, Jiaxin, Worley, Kim C., Benoit, Joshua B., Friedrich, Markus, Jones, Jeffery W., Panfilio, Kristen A., Park, Yoonseong, Robertson, Hugh M., Smagghe, Guy, Ullman, Diane E., van der Zee, Maurijn, Van Leeuwen, Thomas, Veenstra, Jan A., Waterhouse, Robert M., Weirauch, Matthew T., Werren, John H., Whitfield, Anna E., Zdobnov, Evgeny M., Gibbs, Richard A., Richards, Stephen

All authors for Gene content evolution in the arthropods

Thomas, Gregg W. C., Dohmen, Elias, Hughes, Daniel S. T., Murali, Shwetha C., Poelchau, Monica, Glastad, Karl, Anstead, Clare A., Ayoub, Nadia A., Batterham, Phillip, Bellair, Michelle, Binford, Greta J., Chao, Hsu, Chen, Yolanda H., Childers, Christopher, Dinh, Huyen, Doddapaneni, Harsha Vardhan, Duan, Jian J., Dugan, Shannon, Esposito, Lauren A., Friedrich, Markus, Garb, Jessica, Gasser, Robin B., Goodisman, Michael A. D., Gundersen-Rindal, Dawn E., Han, Yi, Handler, Alfred M., Hatakeyama, Masatsugu, Hering, Lars, Hunter, Wayne B., Ioannidis, Panagiotis, Jayaseelan, Joy C., Kalra, Divya, Khila, Abderrahman, Korhonen, Pasi K, Lee, Carol Eunmi, Lee, Sandra L., Li, Yiyuan, Lindsey, Amelia R. I., Mayer, Georg, McGregor, Alistair P., McKenna, Duane D., Misof, Bernhard, Munidasa, Mala, Munoz-Torres, Monica, Muzny, Donna M., Niehuis, Oliver, Osuji-Lacy, Nkechinyere, Palli, Subba R., Panfilio, Kristen A., Pechmann, Matthias, Perry, Trent, Peters, Ralph S., Poynton, Helen C., Prpic, Nikola-Michael, Qu, Jiaxin, Rotenberg, Dorith, Schal, Coby, Schoville, Sean D., Scully, Erin D., Skinner, Evette, Sloan, Daniel B., Stouthamer, Richard, Strand, Michael R., Szucsich, Nikolaus U., Wijeratne, Asela, Young, Neil D., Zattara, Eduardo E., Benoit, Joshua B., Zdobnov, Evgeny M., Pfrender, Michael E., Hackett, Kevin J., Werren, John H., Worley, Kim C., Gibbs, Richard A., Chipman, Ariel D., Waterhouse, Robert M., Bornberg-Bauer, Erich, Hahn, Matthew W., Richards, Stephen

All authors for Brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), genome : putative underpinnings of polyphagy, insecticide resistance potential and biology of a top worldwide pest

Sparks, Michael E., Bansal, Raman, Benoit, Joshua B., Blackburn, Michael B., Chao, Hsu, Chen, Mengyao, Cheng, Sammy, Childers, Christopher, Dinh, Huyen, Doddapaneni, Harsha Vardhan, Dugan, Shannon, Elpidina, Elena N., Farrow, David W., Friedrich, Markus, Gibbs, Richard A., Hall, Brantley, Han, Yi, Hardy, Richard W., Holmes, Christopher J., Hughes, Daniel S. T., Ioannidis, Panagiotis, Cheatle Jarvela, Alys M., Johnston, J. Spencer, Jones, Jeffery W., Kronmiller, Brent A., Kung, Faith, Lee, Sandra L., Martynov, Alexander G., Masterson, Patrick, Maumus, Florian, Munoz-Torres, Monica, Murali, Shwetha C., Murphy, Terence D., Muzny, Donna M., Nelson, David R., Oppert, Brenda, Panfilio, Kristen A., Paula, Débora Pires, Pick, Leslie, Poelchau, Monica F., Qu, Jiaxin, Reding, Katie, Rhoades, Joshua H., Rhodes, Adelaide, Richards, Stephen, Richter, Rose, Robertson, Hugh M., Rosendale, Andrew J., Tu, Zhijian Jake, Velamuri, Arun S., Waterhouse, Robert M., Weirauch, Matthew T., Wells, Jackson T., Werren, John H., Worley, Kim C., Zdobnov, Evgeny M., Gundersen-Rindal, Dawn E.

All authors for Molecular evolutionary trends and feeding ecology diversification in the Hemiptera anchored by the milkweed bug genome

Panfilio, Kristen A., Vargas Jentzsch, Iris M., Benoit, Joshua B., Erezyilmaz, Deniz, Suzuki, Yuichiro, Colella, Stefano, Robertson, Hugh M., Poelchau, Monica F., Waterhouse, Robert M., Ioannidis, Panagiotis, Weirauch, Matthew T., Hughes, Daniel S. T., Murali, Shwetha C., Werren, John H., Jacobs, Chris G.C., Duncan, Elizabeth J., Armisén, David, Vreede, Barbara M. I., Baa-Puyoulet, Patrice, Berger, Chloé S., Chang, Chun-che, Chao, Hsu, Chen, Mei-Ju M., Chen, Yen-Ta, Childers, Christopher P., Chipman, Ariel D., Cridge, Andrew G., Crumière, Antonin J. J., Dearden, Peter K., Didion, Elise M., Dinh, Huyen, Doddapaneni, Harsha Vardhan, Dolan, Amanda, Dugan-Perez, Shannon, Extavour, Cassandra G., Febvay, Gérard, Friedrich, Markus, Ginzburg, Neta, Han, Yi, Heger, Peter, Holmes, Christopher J., Horn, Thorsten, Hsiao, Yi-min, Jennings, Emily C., Johnston, J. Spencer, Jones, Tamsin E., Jones, Jeffery W., Khila, Abderrahman, Koelzer, Stefan, Kovacova, Viera, Leask, Megan, Lee, Sandra L., Lee, Chien-Yueh, Lovegrove, Mackenzie R., Lu, Hsiao-Ling, Lu, Yong, Moore, Patricia J., Munoz-Torres, Monica C., Muzny, Donna M., Palli, Subba R., Parisot, Nicolas, Pick, Leslie, Porter, Megan, Qu, Jiaxin, Refki, Peter N., Richter, Rose, Rivera-Pomar, Rolando, Rosendale, Andrew J., Roth, Siegfried, Sachs, Lena, Santos, M. Emília, Seibert, Jan, Sghaier, Essia, Shukla, Jayendra N., Stancliffe, Richard J., Tidswell, Olivia, Traverso, Lucila, van der Zee, Maurijn, Viala, Séverine, Worley, Kim C., Zdobnov, Evgeny M., Gibbs, Richard A., Richards, Stephen

All authors for The genome of the water strider Gerris buenoi reveals expansions of gene repertoires associated with adaptations to life on the water

Armisén, David, Rajakumar, Rajendhran, Friedrich, Markus, Benoit, Joshua B., Robertson, Hugh M., Panfilio, Kristen A., Ahn, Seung-Joon, Poelchau, Monica F., Chao, Hsu, Dinh, Huyen, Doddapaneni, Harsha Vardhan, Dugan, Shannon, Gibbs, Richard A., Hughes, Daniel S. T., Han, Yi, Lee, Sandra L., Murali, Shwetha C., Muzny, Donna M., Qu, Jiaxin, Worley, Kim C., Munoz-Torres, Monica, Abouheif, Ehab, Bonneton, François, Chen, Travis, Chiang, Li-Mei, Childers, Christopher P., Cridge, Andrew G., Crumière, Antonin J. J., Decaras, Amelie, Didion, Elise M., Duncan, Elizabeth J., Elpidina, Elena N., Favé, Marie-Julie, Finet, Cédric, Jacobs, Chris G. C., Cheatle Jarvela, Alys M., Jennings, Emily C., Jones, Jeffery W., Lesoway, Maryna P., Lovegrove, Mackenzie R., Martynov, Alexander, Oppert, Brenda, Lillico-Ouachour, Angelica, Rajakumar, Arjuna, Refki, Peter Nagui, Rosendale, Andrew J., Santos, Maria Emilia, Toubiana, William, van der Zee, Maurijn, Vargas Jentzsch, Iris M., Lowman, Aidamalia Vargas, Viala, Severine, Richards, Stephen, Khila, Abderrahman

All authors for The genome of the water strider Gerris buenoi reveals expansions of gene repertoires associated with adaptations to life on the water

Armisén, David, Rajakumar, Rajendhran, Friedrich, Markus, Benoit, Joshua B., Robertson, Hugh M., Panfilio, Kristen A., Ahn, Seung-Joon, Poelchau, Monica F., Chao, Hsu, Dinh, Huyen, Doddapaneni, Harsha Vardhan, Dugan, Shannon, Gibbs, Richard A., Hughes, Daniel S. T., Han, Yi, Lee, Sandra L., Murali, Shwetha C., Muzny, Donna M., Qu, Jiaxin, Worley, Kim C., Munoz-Torres, Monica, Abouheif, Ehab, Bonneton, François, Chen, Travis, Chiang, Li-Mei, Childers, Christopher P., Cridge, Andrew G., Crumière, Antonin J. J., Decaras, Amelie, Didion, Elise M., Duncan, Elizabeth J., Elpidina, Elena N., Favé, Marie-Julie, Finet, Cédric, Jacobs, Chris G. C., Cheatle Jarvela, Alys M., Jennings, Emily C., Jones, Jeffery W., Lesoway, Maryna P., Lovegrove, Mackenzie R., Martynov, Alexander, Oppert, Brenda, Lillico-Ouachour, Angelica, Rajakumar, Arjuna, Refki, Peter Nagui, Rosendale, Andrew J., Santos, Maria Emilia, Toubiana, William, van der Zee, Maurijn, Vargas Jentzsch, Iris M., Lowman, Aidamalia Vargas, Viala, Severine, Richards, Stephen, Khila, Abderrahman

All authors for A model species for agricultural pest genomics : the genome of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Coleoptera : Chrysomelidae)

Schoville, Sean D., Chen, Yolanda H., Andersson, Martin N., Benoit, Joshua B., Bhandari, Anita, Bowsher, Julia H., Brevik, Kristian, Cappelle, Kaat, Chen, Mei-Ju M., Childers, Anna K., Childers, Christopher, Christiaens, Olivier, Clements, Justin, Didion, Elise M., Elpidina, Elena N., Engsontia, Patamarerk, Friedrich, Markus, García-Robles, Inmaculada, Gibbs, Richard A., Goswami, Chandan, Grapputo, Alessandro, Gruden, Kristina, Grynberg, Marcin, Henrissat, Bernard, Jennings, Emily C., Jones, Jeffery W., Kalsi, Megha, Khan, Sher A., Kumar, Abhishek, Li, Fei, Lombard, Vincent, Ma, Xingzhou, Martynov, Alexander, Miller, Nicholas J., Mitchell, Robert F., Munoz-Torres, Monica, Muszewska, Anna, Oppert, Brenda, Palli, Subba Reddy, Panfilio, Kristen A., Pauchet, Yannick, Perkin, Lindsey C., Petek, Marko, Poelchau, Monica F., Record, Éric, Rinehart, Joseph P., Robertson, Hugh M., Rosendale, Andrew J., Ruiz-Arroyo, Victor M., Smagghe, Guy, Szendrei, Zsofia, Thomas, Gregg W. C., Torson, Alex S., Vargas Jentzsch, Iris M., Weirauch, Matthew T., Yates, Ashley D., Yocum, George D., Yoon, June-Sun, Richards, Stephen

All authors for Genome of the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis), a globally significant invasive species, reveals key functional and evolutionary innovations at the beetle - plant interface

McKenna, Duane D., Scully, Erin D., Pauchet, Yannick, Hoover, Kelli, Kirsch, Roy, Geib, Scott M., Mitchell, Robert F., Waterhouse, Robert M., Ahn, Seung-Joon, Arsala, Deanna, Benoit, Joshua B., Blackmon, Heath, Bledsoe, Tiffany, Bowsher, Julia H., Busch, André, Calla, Bernarda, Chao, Hsu, Childers, Anna K., Childers, Christopher, Clarke, Dave J., Cohen, Lorna, Demuth, Jeffery P., Dinh, Huyen, Doddapaneni, HarshaVardhan, Dolan, Amanda, Duan, Jian J., Dugan, Shannon, Friedrich, Markus, Glastad, Karl M., Goodisman, Michael A. D., Haddad, Stephanie, Han, Yi, Hughes, Daniel S. T., Ioannidis, Panagiotis, Johnston, J. Spencer, Jones, Jeffery W., Kuhn, Leslie A., Lance, David R., Lee, Chien-Yueh, Lee, Sandra L., Lin, Han, Lynch, Jeremy A., Moczek, Armin P., Murali, Shwetha C., Muzny, Donna M., Nelson, David R., Palli, Subba R., Panfilio, Kristen A., Pers, Dan, Poelchau, Monica F., Quan, Honghu, Qu, Jiaxin, Ray, Ann M., Rinehart, Joseph P., Robertson, Hugh M., Roehrdanz, Richard, Rosendale, Andrew J., Shin, Seunggwan, Silva, Christian, Torson, Alex S., Jentzsch, Iris M. Vargas, Werren, John H., Worley, Kim C., Yocum, George, Zdobnov, Evgeny M., Gibbs, Richard A., Richards, Stephen

All authors for Unique features of a global human ectoparasite identified through sequencing of the bed bug genome

Benoit, Joshua B., Adelman, Zach N., Reinhardt, Klaus, Dolan, Amanda, Poelchau, Monica, Jennings, Emily C., Szuter, Elise M., Hagan, Richard W., Gujar, Hemant, Shukla, Jayendra Nath, Zhu, Fang, Mohan, M., Nelson, David R., Rosendale, Andrew J., Derst, Christian, Resnik, Valentina, Wernig, Sebastian, Menegazzi, Pamela, Wegener, Christian, Peschel, Nicolai, Hendershot, Jacob M., Blenau, Wolfgang, Predel, Reinhard, Johnston, Paul R., Ioannidis, Panagiotis, Waterhouse, Robert M., Nauen, Ralf, Schorn, Corinna, Ott, Mark-Christoph, Maiwald, Frank, Johnston, J. Spencer, Gondhalekar, Ameya D., Scharf, Michael E., Peterson, Brittany F., Raje, Kapil R., Hottel, Benjamin A., Armisén, David, Crumière, Antonin Jean Johan, Refki, Peter Nagui, Santos, Maria Emilia, Sghaier, Essia, Viala, Sèverine, Khila, Abderrahman, Ahn, Seung-Joon, Childers, Christopher, Lee, Chien-Yueh, Lin, Han, Hughes, Daniel S. T., Duncan, Elizabeth J., Murali, Shwetha C., Qu, Jiaxin, Dugan, Shannon, Lee, Sandra L., Chao, Hsu, Dinh, Huyen, Han, Yi, Doddapaneni, Harshavardhan, Worley, Kim C., Muzny, Donna M., Wheeler, David, Panfilio, Kristen A., Vargas Jentzsch, Iris M. et al.

All authors for The iBeetle large-scale RNAi screen reveals gene functions for insect development and physiology

Schmitt-Engel, Christian, Schultheis, Dorothea, Schwirz, Jonas, Ströhlein, Nadi, Troelenberg, Nicole, Majumdar, Upalparna, Dao, Van Anh, Grossmann, Daniela, Richter, Tobias, Tech, Maike, Dönitz, Jürgen, Gerischer, Lizzy, Theis, Mirko, Schild, Inga, Trauner, Jochen, Koniszewski, Nikolaus D. B., Küster, Elke, Kittelmann, Sebastian, Hu, Yonggang, Lehmann, Sabrina, Siemanowski, Janna, Ulrich, Julia, Panfilio, Kristen A., Schröder, Reinhard, Morgenstern, Burkhard, Stanke, Mario, Buchhholz, Frank, Frasch, Manfred, Roth, Siegfried, Wimmer, Ernst A., Schoppmeier, Michael, Klingler, Martin, Bucher, Gregor