Research Overview
I have two main areas of interest, human evolution, and ageing. On human evolution, I have been studying how gene expression differences might be shaping functional differences between humans and chimpanzees. We have specifically investigated regulatory differences between species that affect the timing of transcription during brain development, which lead to a dramatically extended period of neural development in human infants. I have also worked on how, and why, gene expression levels change during ageing. My current work is focused on signatures of genetic drift in the human genome, deleterious variation that influence gene expression, and the role of drift in shaping ageing patterns.
Selected Publications
A scan for human−specific relaxation of negative selection reveals unexpected polymorphism
in proteasome genes.
Somel M, Wilson Sayres M, Jordan G, Huerta-Sanchez E, Fumagalli M, Ferrer-Admetlla A, Nielsen
R. (2013) Molecular Biology & Evolution. DOI
Human brain evolution: transcripts, metabolites and their regulators.
Somel M, Liu X, Khaitovich P. (2013) Nature Reviews Neuroscience
14(2):112-27. DOI
Mechanisms of dietary response in mice and primates: a role for EGR1 in regulating
the reaction to human-specific nutritional content.
Weng K, Hu H, Xu AG, Khaitovich P, Somel M. (2012) PLoS One
7(8):e43915. DOI
Accelerated aging-related transcriptome changes in the female prefrontal cortex.
Yuan Y, Chen YP, Boyd-Kirkup J, Khaitovich P, Somel M. (2012) Aging Cell
11(5):894-901. DOI
Extension of cortical synaptic development distinguishes humans from chimpanzees and macaques.
Liu X*, Somel M*, Tang L*, Yan Z, Jiang X, Guo S, Yuan Y, He L, Oleksiak A, Zhang Y, Li N,
Hu Y, Chen W, Qiu Z, Pääbo S, Khaitovich P. (2012) Genome Research
22(4):611-22. DOI
MicroRNA-driven developmental remodeling in the brain distinguishes humans from other primates.
Somel M*, Liu X*, Tang L, Yan Z, Hu H, Guo S, Jiang X, Zhang X, Xu G, Xie G, Li N, Hu Y,
Chen W, Pääbo S, Khaitovich P. (2012) PLoS Biology
9(12):e1001214. DOI
MicroRNA, mRNA, and protein expression link development and aging in human and macaque brain.
Somel M*, Guo S*, Fu N*, Yan Z, Hu HY, Fu X, Yuan Y, Ning Z, Hu Y, Menzel C, Hu H,
Lachmann M, Zeng R, Chen W, Khaitovich P (2010) Genome Research 20:
1207-1218 DOI
Transcriptional Neoteny in the Human Brain.
Somel M, Franz H, Yan Z, Lorenc A, Guo S, Giger T, Kelso J, Nickel B, Dannemann M,
Bahn S, Webster MJ, Weickert CS, Lachmann M, Pääbo S, Khaitovich P (2009) Proc Natl
Acad Sci U S A 106(14):5743-8. DOI
Updated May 23, 2013