Undergraduate researcher
I am excited about using non-model systems to better understand the evolution of novel developmental strategies. I am particularly interested in understanding the evolution of biphasic lifecycles in marine invertebrates, which is an understudied portion of development. Currently, I am comparing cell fate changes during metamorphosis and adult metamorphosis in Heliocidaris erythrogramma and Lytechinus variegatus using single cell RNA sequencing. I hope to gain insights into the transcriptional regulation of metamorphosis and whether it involves different pathways from embryonic development.
Email: brennan.mcdonald at duke.edu
Publications:
McDonald, B. D., Massri, A. J., Escobar, A. B., Byrne, M., McClay, D. R., and Wray, G. A. (2024). Contrasting the development of larval and adult body plans during the evolution of biphasic lifecycles in sea urchins. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.30.591978.
Massri, A. J., McDonald, B., Wray, G. A., & McClay, D. R. (2023). Feedback circuits are numerous in embryonic gene regulatory networks and offer a stabilizing influence on evolution of those networks. EvoDevo, 14(10). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13227-023-00214-y.
