Bernardo Lemos

Assistant Professor of Environmental Epigenetics

Department of Environmental Health

Education

Ph.D., 2007, Harvard University

Postdoctoral Opportunities

We are inviting applications for a postdoctoral fellow interested in combining experimental and computational approaches to address a variety

of questions in epigenetics and the biology of gene regulation. Candidates must be exceptionally motivated and have the ability to work

independently on a team environment. Candidates with skills/interests in computer programming and/or a quantitative background are specially

encouraged to apply. Please submit a letter of interest including your research goals, CV, and the names, email address and phone numbers of

three references to Bernardo Lemos at Lemos.postdoc@gmail.com

Finding the genome-environment balance

The relevance of environmental context to the expression of the genome is unequivocal. Environmental perturbations reshape biological networks, alter regulatory responses, and modulate the emergence of phenotypic variation and disease risk. Our laboratory pursues research themes in systems and environmental epigenetics that are inherently interdisciplinary: the long-term goal is to develop a functional and populational understanding of the mapping between genotypes, phenotypes, and environments.

In particular, three complementary sets of research themes are being cohesively pursued. One set is centered on Y-chromosome heterochromatin: its genetic and epigenetic variation, its manifold functional consequences and unique population dynamics. Another related set of questions is centered on the systems biology of regulatory variation, epigenetic networks, and the dynamics of genotype-by-environmental interaction. A third set of questions directly address individual responses to the environment and the consequences of maternal and paternal epi-alleles on subsequent generations.

We approach our research questions mechanistically through careful genomic experimentation and integrative computational analyses; these are blended with rigorous genetic manipulations within meaningful environmental contexts. One area of interest has been on developing novel models to understand environmentally modulated human disease risk.

Selected Publications

Sackton TB, Montenegro H, Hartl DL, Lemos B. 2011. Interspecific Y chromosome introgressions disrupt testis-specific gene expression and male reproductive phenotypes in Drosophila. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108(41):17046-17051.

Paredes S, Branco AT, Hartl DL, Maggert K, Lemos B. 2011. Ribosomal DNA deletions modulate genome-wide gene expression: “rDNA-sensitive” genes and natural variation. PLoS Genetics 7(4):e1001376.

Jiang PP, Hartl DL, Lemos B. 2010. Y not a dead end: Epistatic interactions between Y-linked regulatory polymorphisms and genetic background affect global gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 186:109-118.

Lemos B, Branco AT, Hartl DL. 2010. Epigenetic effects of polymorphic Y chromosomes modulate chromatin components, immune response, and sexual conflict. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107(36):15826-15831.

Lemos B, Araripe LO, Hartl DL. 2008. Polymorphic Y chromosomes harbor cryptic variation with manifold functional consequences. Science 319:91-93.

Lemos B. 2007. The opossum genome reveals further evidence for regulatory evolution in mammalian diversification. Genome Biology 8:223-226.

Landry^¶ CR, Lemos^¶ B, Rifkin SA, Dickinson WJ, Hartl DL. 2007. Genetic properties influencing the evolvability of gene expression. Science 317:118-121. ^¶first two authors contributed equally