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Nicole Perna

Associate Professor of Genetics

Nicole Perna
Lab Home Page:
Perna Lab
Address:
4434 Genetics/Biotech
Telephone:
890-0171
Email:
ntperna@wisc.edu
Research Fields:
Genomics
Microbial Genetics
Population/Evolution

Ph.D., University of New Hampshire, 1996

Postdoctoral Research: University of Wisconsin — Madison

Research Interests

Evolution of bacterial genomes

Research Description

Our research is directed at understanding the molecular evolution of complex traits like virulence and host range. Our work focuses on the Enterobacteriaceae, a bacterial family with members occupying diverse environmental niches including plant and animal hosts with lifestyles ranging from mutualism to pathogenesis. We use both computational and experimental approaches to study the rates, patterns, mechanisms and phenotypic consequences of genome-scale evolution.

Some of our current areas of research are:

  1. Specialization in either plant or animal hosts
  2. Recombination within and between species, populations and strains
  3. Rates and patterns of genome rearrangement
  4. Regulatory evolution and energy metabolism
  5. Evolution of chemotaxis and signaling systems

We also develop tools and resources for genome analysis, including a multiple genome alignment and visualization system, and an interactive web-based genome database and analysis platform. Tools developed in our group are publicly distributed for use by the larger research community.

Representative Publications

  • R. Mau, J.D. Glasner, A. Darling and N.T. Perna. 2006. Genome-wide detection and analysis of homologous recombination among sequenced strains of Escherichia coli. Genome Biol. 7:R44.
  • B.D. Anderson, M.C. Gilson, A.A. Scott, B.S. Biehl, J.D. Glasner, G. Rajashekara, G.A. Splitter and N.T. Perna. 2006. CGHScan: Finding Variable Regions Using High-Density Microarray Comparative Genomic Hybridization Data. BMC Genomics . 7:91.
  • J.D. Glasner, M.C. Rusch, P. Liss, G. Plunkett III, E. L. Cabot, A. Darling, B.D. Anderson, P. Infield-Harm, M.C. Gilson and N.T. Perna. 2006. ASAP: A resource for annotating, curating, comparing, and disseminating genomic data. Nucleic Acids Res. 1;34(Database issue):D41-5.
  • S. Yang, N.T. Perna, D.A. Cooksey, Y. Okinaka, S.E. Lindow, A.M. Ibekwe, N.T. Keen and C.-H. Yang. 2004. Genome-wide identification of plant up-regulated genes of Erwinia chrysanthemi 3937 using GFP based IVET Leaf Arrays. MPMI. 17:999-1008.
  • A. Darling, B. Mau, F.R. Blattner and N.T. Perna. 2004. Mauve, Muliple Genome Alignment. Genome Research. 14:1394-1403.