James M. Cheverud, Ph.D.

DEPARTMENT OF Anatomy & Neurobiology
Keywords: evolution, genetics, primatology, obesity, morphology

My research is in quantitative genetics, morphology, and evolution. My work in quantitative genetics concerns the genetic architecture of complex traits and how this architecture facilitates and constrains evolutionary change. Genetic architecture is the genetic basis for quantitative trait variation. How many genes contribute to variation? What is the relative magnitude of their effects? What is the pattern of dominance? Do the effects of these loci vary depending on their genetic context (epistasis), environment, or sex? Answers to these questions have important implications for the evolution of quantitative traits and for understanding the genetic basis of complex diseases.

We are investigating the genetic architecture of body size, body composition, obesity & diabetes, wound healing, brain morphology, and skeletal growth, biomechanical properties, and morphology in an intercross of inbred mouse strains using quantitative trait locus approaches. We have identified a series of genes affecting body weight and weight growth, adiposity, mandibular and cranial morphology, and other traits. We are now examining the epistatic interactions of these loci and the evolutionary consequences of epistasis for evolution under genetic drift and selection. We also are fine-mapping genes for body size and obesity as background for positional cloning of genes responsible for these variations. Additionally, we are mapping genes affecting primate skull and brain morphology in a captive population of baboons.

We are also continuing our studies in primate systematics and morphological diversification. We examine the consequences of genetic architecture for the evolution of skull morphology in New and Old World Monkeys. Previous quantitative genetic analyses of skull morphology are being combined with morphometric and phylogenetic analyses to test hypotheses of genetic drift and selection as causes of interspecific morphological diversity. We will also examine the molecular evolution of genes found to affect cranial morphologies that have evolved in the human lineage.