Person to Person: Chelsea Hudson and Edson Ishengoma
Person-to-person: Chelsea Hudson
Chelsea Hudson has been working in the Cavener lab for two years. Her work on the giraffe genome focuses on one gene, Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Like 1 (FGFRL1), which the team has identified as being highly diverged in giraffes.
“We identified 7 unique amino acid substitutions in the ligand binding domain which are not present in giraffe's closest living relative, okapi, or in any other mammal,” she said. “We suspect that these amino acid substitutions have altered the function of this protein in giraffes such that it contributes towards giraffe's long neck. We are testing this hypothesis through a series of cellular-based assays as well as using CRIPSR-Cas9 genome editing to make the giraffe substitutions in mouse in hopes of seeing a change in phenotype.”
Choosing to work on this giraffe genome research was a no brainer for Hudson, as her background is in developmental biology and evolutionary biology. And then there was the rarity factor: “It was a very unique project. Very few people study something as cool as giraffes!”
Hudson’s career goals are to teach and conduct research at a university one day, possibly even following in Cavener’s footsteps and moving into university administration. “Doug is a perfect mentor for that! It has been useful to see Doug’s career trajectory, how he has managed a lab and his position as dean, and to get some advice from him about how to get to that point.”
In her free time, Hudson and her husband enjoying playing trivia and co-ed recreational softball
Person-to-person: Edson Ishengoma
Edson Ishengoma has been working with Agaba, and as a result of this partnership, Cavener, on the giraffe genome research for four years.
For Ishengoma, finding a faculty mentor with experience in molecular genetics in Tanzania was very important, and Agaba was a great match. “He had performed significant work on livestock genetics, applying cutting-edge genomics tools and principles to identify genes associated with important livestock traits,” he said.
Although Ishengoma’s original research focused on the molecular basis of fish species adaptation to salinities, he was excited to apply these same cutting-edge genomics tools to the giraffe genome when Agaba and Cavener decided to collaborate.
Ishengoma plans to seek a postdoctoral research position after he finishes his doctoral degree. “I would like to continue developing a research career in evolutionary genomics, especially as it involves understanding human biology in the background of closely related species. As Theodosius Dobzansky once remarked, ‘nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution,’” he said.
He feels the giraffe genome research gave him an excellent foundation to continue this career path: “Working with Morris and Doug has equipped me with basic comparative genomics techniques that I hope to expand upon in my advanced training, perhaps at the postdoctoral level,” he said.
In his free time, Ishengoma has quite a few hobbies. He enjoys playing soccer with his university colleagues and watching the English Premier League games on TV, as well as reading books and visiting his parents in a rural region of Tanzania.