Beatriz Vicoso is a professor at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, where her group addresses various questions on the evolutionary genomics of model and non-model organisms.
Research
Some key areas of interest include the evolution of sex chromosomes, such as the X and Y of mammals and fruit flies, the role of sex-specific selection in shaping sequence and gene expression evolution, and the evolutionary dynamics of selfish genetic elements.
Sex chromosomes, such as the X and Y of mammals, are involved in sex-determination in many species. This sex specificity leads them to evolve differently from autosomal chromosomes, and acquire distinctive biological properties. In particular, Dr. Vicoso is interested in understanding several aspects of the biology of sex chromosomes, and the evolutionary processes that shape their peculiar features.
By combining the use of next-generation sequencing technologies with studies in several model and non-model organisms, they can address a variety of standing questions, such as: Why do some Y chromosomes degenerate while others remain homomorphic, and how does this relate to the extent of sexual dimorphism of the species? What forces drive some species to acquire global dosage compensation of the X, while others only compensate specific genes? What are the frequency and molecular dynamics of sex-chromosome turnover?
Grants and awards
Dr. Vicoso has been granted an ERC starting grant, and is a member of the Young Academy of the Austrian Academy of Science.
Selected bibliography
- Vicoso, Beatriz. 2019. “Molecular and Evolutionary Dynamics of Animal Sex-Chromosome Turnover.” Nature Ecology & Evolution 3 (12): 1632–41.
- Vicoso, Beatriz, and Doris Bachtrog. “Reversal of an Ancient Sex Chromosome to an Autosome in Drosophila.” Nature 499 (7458): 332–35.
- Vicoso, Beatriz, and Doris Bachtrog. “Numerous Transitions of Sex Chromosomes in Diptera.” PLoS Biology 13 (4): e1002078.
- Vicoso, Beatriz, and Brian Charlesworth. “Effective Population Size and the Faster-X Effect: An Extended Model.” Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution 63 (9): 2413–26.
