Profile

Dr Dave Ferrier
Reader in Biology and
Deputy Director of the Scottish Oceans Institute
Research Overview. We aim to understand how the diversity of form in the animal kingdom evolved. The focus of our research is the connection between the evolution of animal genome organisation and development, with a particular concentration on the homeobox-containing genes. The Hox gene cluster is established as a corner-stone of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, but much about the evolution of its organisation and mode of operation remains unknown. Also the Hox cluster is not unique as a homeobox gene cluster controlling animal development, further clusters being the ParaHox and NK clusters, all of which evolved within larger arrays of homeobox genes (the Mega-cluster, Giga-cluster and Super-Hox cluster). We utilize a variety of organisms in our research (including amphioxus, sea squirts, polychaetes and priapulids), chosen from key points in the phylogeny of the animals to enable reconstruction of the ancestral conditions at major nodes in the animal kingdom; the origin of bilaterians, protostomes, deuterostomes, chordates and vertebrates, as well as the origin of the entire animal kingdom. Knowledge of such ancestors is vital in understanding subsequent diversification.
Recent publications
11 (of 11 published available) for dekf with keyword EXPRESSION clear keyword filter. (source: University of St Andrews PURE)
Please click title of any item for full details.
Genome Biology and Evolution
vol.10 pp.2151â2167
(Article)
Ildiko Maureen Lara Somorjai, David Ellard Keith Ferrier
Keywords: Spirobranchus lamarcki, Regeneration, Operculum, Biomineralization, NK genes, PRD class genes
Development Genes and Evolution
vol.228 pp.13-30
(Article)
David Ellard Keith Ferrier
Keywords: Amphioxus, ParaHox, Retrogene replacement, SYCPI, Synaptonemal complex, CHIC genes
Nature
vol.564 pp.64-70
(Article)
Ferdinand Marletaz, Panos Firbas, Ignacio Maeso, Juan Tena, Ozren Bogdanovic, Malcolm Perry, Chris Wyatt, Elisa de la Calle-Mustienes, Stephanie Bertrand, Demian Burguera, Rafael Acemel, Simon van Heeringen, Silvia Naranjo, Carlos Herrera-Ubeda, Ksenia Skvortsova, Sandra Jimenez-Gancedo, Daniel Aldea, Yamile Marquez, Lorena Buono, Iryna Kozmikova, Jon Permanyer, Alexandra Louis, Beatriz Albuixech-Crespo, Yann Le Petillon, Anthony Leon Florian, Lucie Subirana, Piotr J. Balwierz, Paul Duckett, Ensieh Farahani, Jean Marc Aury, Sophie Mangenot, Patrick Wincker, Ricard Albalat, Elia Benito-Gutierrez, Cristian Canestro, Filipe Castro, Salvatore D'Aniello, David Ellard Keith Ferrier, Shengfeng Huang, Vincent Laudet, Gabriel Marais, Pierre Pontarotti, Michael Schubert, Herve Seitz, Ildiko Maureen Lara Somorjai, Tokiharu Takahashi, Olivier Mirabeau, Anlong Xu, Jr-Kai Yu, Piero Carninci, Juan Martinez-Morales, Hugues Crollius, Zbynek Kozmik, Matt Weirauch, Jordi Garcia-Fernandez, Ryan Lister, Boris Lenhard, Peter Holland, Hector Escriva, Jose Luis Gomez-Skarmeta, Manuel Irimia
Developmental Biology
vol.In press
(Article)
Clare Hudson, Rosaria Esposito, Antonio Palladino, Leopoldo Staiano, David Ellard Keith Ferrier, Emmanuel Faure, Patrick Lemaire, Hitoyoshi Yasuo, Antonietta Spagnuolo
Keywords: Ascidian, Ciona, Gsx, Transcriptional regulation, Promoter, Neural patterning, Para-hox
BMC Evolutionary Biology
vol.18
(Article)
David Ellard Keith Ferrier
Keywords: Hox11/13d, Hox11/13e, Posterior Hox genes, Hox gene evolution
Nature
vol.514 pp.620-623
(Article)
Sofia Fortunato, Marcin Adamski, Sven Leininger, Jing Liu, David Ellard Keith Ferrier, Maja Adamska
BMC Biology
vol.11
(Review article)
David Ellard Keith Ferrier
Keywords: ParaHox genes, Hox gene, Colinearity, ParaHox clustering
Open Biology
vol.2
(Article)
Michele Tinti, Catherine Johnson, Rachel Toth, David Ellard Keith Ferrier, Carol MacKintosh
Keywords: Branchiostoma, Ciona, Hereditary spastic paraplegia, RAB3GAP1, RAB3GAP2
BMC Evolutionary Biology
vol.11 pp.241
(Article)
Carmel McDougall, Natalia Korchagina, Johnathan Tobin, David Ellard Keith Ferrier
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
vol.277 pp.3381-3389
(Article)
Thomas Butts, Peter W.H. Holland, David Ellard Keith Ferrier
BMC Biology
vol.7
(Article)
JHL Hui, F Raible, N Korchagina, N Dray, S Samain, G Magdelenat, C Jubin, B Segurens, G Balavoine, D Arendt, David Ellard Keith Ferrier
Contact Details:
Dr Dave FerrierScottish Oceans Institute
East Sands
University of St Andrews
St Andrews
KY16 8LB
Fife
UK
tel: 01334 463480
fax:
room: 1.10b
email: dekf@st-andrews.ac.uk
Related:
research@st-andrewsEvolutionary Developmental Genomics (EDGe) Group website
Public Engagement and Recruitment Committee
School of Biology
Centre for Biological Diversity
Scottish Oceans Institute
Evolutionary Developmental Genomics
Evolution, Genes and Genomics Group
Institute for Data-Intensive Research
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The Secretary
Scottish Oceans Institute
Institiud Chuantan na h-Alba
Gatty Marine Laboratory
East Sands St Andrews
KY16 8LB
Scotland
UK
tel: +44 (0) 1334 463472
fax: +44 (0) 1334 463443
email: soi@st-andrews.ac.uk
Participating Schools