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Andrew M. Schurko, Ph.D. Assistant
Research Scientist (Logsdon Lab) Roy J. Carver Center for Comparative Genomics Iowa
City, Iowa 52242 Ph:
319-335-1083 e-mail:
andrew-schurko_at_uiowa.edu |
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Education:
Ph.D. (Microbiology) 2003, University of
Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
B.Sc (Hons) 1997, University of
Manitoba
My Research:
I use degenerate PCR and database-mining to
survey genomes for genes involved in meiosis and other cellular processes.
Currently, my research focuses on three main projects:
1) Meiotic genes and ancient asexuals.
Bdelloid rotifers (microscopic animals) are
the best-studied "ancient asexuals"; evidence suggests that they have
survived and flourished for at least 100 million years without having sex!
I use degenerate PCR to amplify
meiosis-specific genes from bdelloid and sexual monogonont genomes. The
absence of meiotic genes is consistent with ancient asexuality; the presence of
meiotic genes would suggest the capacity for meiosis and possibly sex!
2) Cohesin protein evolution.
Cohesin is a multi-subunit complex involved in
sister-chromatid cohesion during mitosis and meiosis. Using database-mining and
degenerate PCR, I am studying the evolution of meiosis-specific components of
cohesin (e.g. Rec8, Scc3) in protists and insects.
3) Assembling the Tree of Life
As part of the ATOL project, our lab is
involved in reconstructing the phylogeny of the Tree of Life, with a focus on
protists and the root of the tree (see Eu-Tree link for more info). My main interest is in
the opisthokonts and relationships among animals, fungi, and protist lineages
within.
Publications:
Schurko, A.M., Logsdon, J.M. Jr. and
Eads, B.D. 2009. Meiosis genes in Daphnia pulex and the role of
parthenogenesis in genome evolution. BMC Evolutionary Biology 9:78.
Schurko, A.M., Neiman, M. and
Logsdon, J.M. Jr. 2009. Signs of sex: what we know and how we know it. Trends
in Ecology and Evolution 24:208-217.
Mendoza, L., Schurko, A.M. and Newton, J.C.
2009. Are strains of Lagenidium sp. from dogs actually cryptic isolates of Pythium
insidiosum? American Journal of Veterinary Research 70:163.
Malik S.-B., Pightling A.W., Stefaniak L.M., Schurko
A.M.,
Logsdon J.M. Jr. 2008. An expanded inventory of conserved meiotic genes
provides evidence for sex in Trichomonas vaginalis. PLoS One
3:8:e2879.
Schurko, A.M. and Logsdon, Jr.,
J.M. 2008. Using a meiosis detection toolkit to investigate ancient asexual
“scandals” and the evolution of sex. BioEssays 30:579-589.
Bedard, J.E.J., Schurko, A.M., de Cock, A.W.A.M. and
Klassen, G.R. 2006. Diversity and evolution of 5S rRNA gene family organization
in Pythium. Mycological Research 110:86-95.
Fernando, W.G.G., Zhang, J.X., Chen, C.Q.,
Remphrey, W.R., Schurko, A.M. and Klassen, G.R. 2005. Molecular and
morphological characteristics of Apiosporina morbosa, the causal agent of
black knot in Prunus spp. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 27:364-375.
Li, Y., Kelly, W. G., Logsdon, Jr., J.M., Schurko,
A.M.,
Harfe, B. D., Hill-Harfe, K. L. and Kahn, R. A. 2004. Functional genomic analysis
of the ADP-ribosylation factor family of GTPases: phylogeny among diverse
eukaryotes and function in C. elegans. FASEB Journal, 18:1834-1850. [PDF]
Iranpour, M., Schurko, A.M., Klassen, G.R., and
Galloway, T.D. 2004. DNA fingerprinting of adult tabanids (Diptera: Tabanidae)
and their respective egg masses using PCR-restriction fragment profiling. The
Canadian Entomologist 136:605-619.
Schurko, A.M., Mendoza, L., de Cock,
A.W.A.M., Bedard, J.E.J., and Klassen, G.R. 2004. Development of a
species-specific probe for Pythium insidiosum and the diagnosis of
pythiosis. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 42:2411-2418.
Schurko, A.M., Mendoza L., Lévesque,
C.A., Désaulniers, N.L., de Cock, A.W.A.M., and Klassen G.R. 2003. A molecular
phylogeny of Pythium insidiosum. Mycological Research 107: 537-544.
Schurko, A.M., Mendoza, L., de Cock,
A.W.A.M., and Klassen, G.R. 2003. Evidence for geographic clusters: Molecular
genetic differences among strains of Pythium insidiosum from Asia, Australia,
and the Americas are explored. Mycologia 95:200-208.
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