Peter Holland

Research Interests

I am interested in how the evolution of animal diversity can be explained through evolution of the genome. Because the body plan of animals is generated through embryonic development, the evolution of genes that control development is of particular interest. In recent years we have concentrated on the evolution of homeobox genes (encoding developmentally-important transcription factors) and the ‘hedgehog’ gene family (encoding key signalling molecules). This research on gene and genome evolution is complemented by studies on animal phylogeny, since this provides the framework onto which changes can be mapped. In recent years, we have studied these questions in humans, rodents, various fish, hagfish, lampreys, amphioxus, ascidians, hemichordates, polychaetes, insects, cnidarians and choanozoans. For other members of the laboratory, please click here.

Other Interests

I am currently a Governor of the Marine Biological Association, an Honorary Research Fellow of the Natural History Museum, London, and specialist advisor on homeobox genes for the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee. Recent awards include the Alexander Kowalevsky Medal in 2006 and the Genetics Society Medal in 2004. For further details, click here

Contacts

Websites

• http://users.ox.ac.uk/~zool0456/holland.htm

Selected Publications

• Putnam, N.H., (32 others), Holland, L.Z., Holland, P.W.H., Satoh, N. and Rokhsar, D.S. (2008) The amphioxus genome and the evolution of the chordate karyotype. Nature 453, 1064-1072
• Holland, L.Z., (61 others), Satoh, N. and Holland, P.W.H. (2008) The amphioxus genome illuminates vertebrate origins and cephalochordate biology. Genome Research 18, 1100-1111
• Jimenez-Guri, E., Philippe, H, Okamura, B and Holland, PWH (2007) Buddenbrockia is a myxozoan worm. Science 317, 116-118
• Holland, P.W.H., Booth, H.A.F. and Bruford, E. (2007) Classification and nomenclature of all human homeobox genes. BMC Biology. 5:47, doi:10.1186/1741- 7007-5-47