Stickleback Molecular Genetics Course:
A practical lab course, July 13th to 23rd, 2008 at Stanford University
Threespine stickleback fish offer a unique opportunity to combine developmental, ecological, and
paleontological studies of vertebrate evolution. This summer course will offer hands-on training in many
new molecular techniques now being applied to this system, as well as background in the biology, natural
history, development, and evolution of Gasterosteus aculeatus, zebrafish, and other vertebrates. Resident
and special guest faculty will interact extensively with students in lecture, discussion, and lab sessions to
introduce a variety of field, experimental and computational methods that can be used to study vertebrate
evolution and development. Registration, room, board and course materials will be provided by the
Stanford Center for Vertebrate Evolution (http://cegs.stanford.edu).
Lab experiments covering:
•Field collecting and crossing sticklebacks by artificial fertilization.
•DNA microinjection of both zebrafish and stickleback eggs,
•Morpholino analysis to eliminate gene functions and test effects on development,
•In situ hybridization analysis of gene expression in developing fish,
•Making DNA from fish, genotyping with microsatellite markers.
•Mapping genes and traits using genome-wide linkage approaches.
•Comparative genomics and bioinformatics.
Lectures and discussions:
•David Kingsley (Stanford): Genetics of form and morphology in vertebrate systems. Genomic
approaches to identifying the genes and mutations responsible for evolutionary divergence.
•Will Talbot (Stanford): Zebrafish developmental genetics, gene duplication in vertebrate evolution.
•Hans Hoffman (UT-Austin): Molecular and hormonal mechanisms underlying social behavior in
cichlid fish. Expression profiling of complex behavior.
•Katie Peichel (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle) : Sex determination, genetics of
display and courtship behavior in sticklebacks.
•Dolph Schluter (University of British Columbia. Vancouver): Adaptive evolution in sticklebacks,
formation and divergence of benthic-limnetic species pairs
•Mike Bell (Stony Brook): Temp of evolutionary change in contemporary and fossil sticklebacks.
Unique morphological, behavioral, and life history traits in Alaskan fish populations.
Optional Paleontology Field Trip after the course (July 23rd to 24th)
Fossil history of stickleback evolution, with sample collecting at Miocene Lake quarry site located
outside Reno Nevada (led by Mike Bell).
Interested graduate students, postdocs, or faculty members should send a CV and brief letter describing
their background, research interests, and how the course would fit into their future career goals to:
David Kingsley, Beckman Center B300, 279 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA 94305-5329, or send email to:
kingsley@cmgm.stanford.edu