Department of Biology
William R. Jeffery is Professor of Biology and Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Maryland, College Park. He has also been the Johann Friedrich Miescher Regents Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Texas at Austin, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of California, Davis, and Professor and Head of Biology at The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Jeffery has published 235 papers on various topics in developmental and evolutionary biology and is particularly known for his studies on the localization of maternal determinants, including the discovery of the first localized mRNA, the role of regulatory genes in controlling changes in invertebrate larval types, and the evolutionary mechanisms of eye and pigment degeneration in cavefish. He has served on NSF and NIH panels, is a former member of the Council for the NIH Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and has served or is currently serving on the editorial boards of 10 journals. He is a former instructor and Director Emeritus in the Embryology Course, an advisor to the Grass Program in Neurobiology, and a member of the Bell Center for Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole. Dr. Jeffery has served as President of the Developmental Biology Section of the Society for Integrative Biology, the President of the Society for Developmental Biology, and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His awards include the 2010 medal for Research Excellence in Karst Science, the 2012 A. O. Kowalevsky International Medal in Comparative Developmental Biology, and the 2018 National Speleological Society Science Award.
Role of PCNA and ependymal cells in ascidian neural development.
Gene Apr, 2002 | Pubmed ID: 11992727
Retinal homeobox genes and the role of cell proliferation in cavefish eye degeneration.
The International journal of developmental biology May, 2002 | Pubmed ID: 12068949
Programmed cell death in the ascidian embryo: modulation by FoxA5 and Manx and roles in the evolution of larval development.
Mechanisms of development Oct, 2002 | Pubmed ID: 12351175
Ascidian gene-expression profiles.
Genome biology Sep, 2002 | Pubmed ID: 12372151
Probing teleost eye development by lens transplantation.
Methods (San Diego, Calif.) Dec, 2002 | Pubmed ID: 12507460
Development and evolution of craniofacial patterning is mediated by eye-dependent and -independent processes in the cavefish Astyanax.
Evolution & development Sep-Oct, 2003 | Pubmed ID: 12950623
Evolution and development of brain sensory organs in molgulid ascidians.
Evolution & development May-Jun, 2004 | Pubmed ID: 15099304
Migratory neural crest-like cells form body pigmentation in a urochordate embryo.
Nature Oct, 2004 | Pubmed ID: 15470430
Hedgehog signalling controls eye degeneration in blind cavefish.
Nature Oct, 2004 | Pubmed ID: 15483612
Blind cavefish and heat shock protein chaperones: a novel role for hsp90alpha in lens apoptosis.
The International journal of developmental biology , 2004 | Pubmed ID: 15558465
Adaptive evolution of eye degeneration in the Mexican blind cavefish.
The Journal of heredity May-Jun, 2005 | Pubmed ID: 15653557
Zebrafish Hsp70 is required for embryonic lens formation.
Cell stress & chaperones , 2005 | Pubmed ID: 15832949
The lens has a specific influence on optic nerve and tectum development in the blind cavefish Astyanax.
Developmental neuroscience , 2004 | Pubmed ID: 15855759
Conservation of retinal circadian rhythms during cavefish eye degeneration.
Evolution & development Jan-Feb, 2006 | Pubmed ID: 16409379
Ascidian neural crest-like cells: phylogenetic distribution, relationship to larval complexity, and pigment cell fate.
Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution Sep, 2006 | Pubmed ID: 16619245
Chordate ancestry of the neural crest: new insights from ascidians.
Seminars in cell & developmental biology Aug, 2007 | Pubmed ID: 17509911
The lens controls cell survival in the retina: Evidence from the blind cavefish Astyanax.
Developmental biology Nov, 2007 | Pubmed ID: 17936264
Lens gene expression analysis reveals downregulation of the anti-apoptotic chaperone alphaA-crystallin during cavefish eye degeneration.
Development genes and evolution Dec, 2007 | Pubmed ID: 18026750
Shadow response in the blind cavefish Astyanax reveals conservation of a functional pineal eye.
The Journal of experimental biology Feb, 2008 | Pubmed ID: 18203983
Emerging model systems in evo-devo: cavefish and microevolution of development.
Evolution & development May-Jun, 2008 | Pubmed ID: 18460088
Trunk lateral cells are neural crest-like cells in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis: insights into the ancestry and evolution of the neural crest.
Developmental biology Dec, 2008 | Pubmed ID: 18801357
Synteny and candidate gene prediction using an anchored linkage map of Astyanax mexicanus.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Dec, 2008 | Pubmed ID: 19104060
Pleiotropic functions of embryonic sonic hedgehog expression link jaw and taste bud amplification with eye loss during cavefish evolution.
Developmental biology Jun, 2009 | Pubmed ID: 19285488
Chapter 8. Evolution and development in the cavefish Astyanax.
Current topics in developmental biology , 2009 | Pubmed ID: 19361694
Regressive evolution in Astyanax cavefish.
Annual review of genetics , 2009 | Pubmed ID: 19640230
Regeneration of oral siphon pigment organs in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis.
Developmental biology Mar, 2010 | Pubmed ID: 20059994
Evolution of a behavioral shift mediated by superficial neuromasts helps cavefish find food in darkness.
Current biology : CB Sep, 2010 | Pubmed ID: 20705469
Differentially expressed genes identified by cross-species microarray in the blind cavefish Astyanax.
Integrative zoology Mar, 2009 | Pubmed ID: 21392280
Evolutionary tuning of an adaptive behavior requires enhancement of the neuromast sensory system.
Communicative & integrative biology Jan, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21509190
To see or not to see: evolution of eye degeneration in mexican blind cavefish.
Integrative and comparative biology Aug, 2003 | Pubmed ID: 21680461
Evolution of space dependent growth in the teleost Astyanax mexicanus.
PloS one , 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22870223
Siphon regeneration capacity is compromised during aging in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis.
Mechanisms of ageing and development Sep-Oct, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22935550
Parental genetic effects in a cavefish adaptive behavior explain disparity between nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.
Evolution; international journal of organic evolution Sep, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22946818
Evolution of albinism in cave planthoppers by a convergent defect in the first step of melanin biosynthesis.
Evolution & development Mar-Apr, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 23017027
Evolution of an adaptive behavior and its sensory receptors promotes eye regression in blind cavefish.
BMC biology , 2012 | Pubmed ID: 23270452
De novo sequencing of Astyanax mexicanus surface fish and Pachón cavefish transcriptomes reveals enrichment of mutations in cavefish putative eye genes.
PloS one , 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23326453
Quantitative genetic analysis of retinal degeneration in the blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus.
PloS one , 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23437360
Evolution and development in cave animals: from fish to crustaceans.
Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Developmental biology Nov-Dec, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 23580903
Evolution of an adaptive behavior and its sensory receptors promotes eye regression in blind cavefish: response to Borowsky (2013).
BMC biology , 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23844745
QTL clustering as a mechanism for rapid multi-trait evolution.
Communicative & integrative biology Jul, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23956812
Loss of schooling behavior in cavefish through sight-dependent and sight-independent mechanisms.
Current biology : CB Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24035545
Convergence in feeding posture occurs through different genetic loci in independently evolved cave populations of Astyanax mexicanus.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24085851
The sensitivity of lateral line receptors and their role in the behavior of Mexican blind cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus).
The Journal of experimental biology Mar, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24265419
A potential benefit of albinism in Astyanax cavefish: downregulation of the oca2 gene increases tyrosine and catecholamine levels as an alternative to melanin synthesis.
PloS one , 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24282555
Cryptic variation in morphological evolution: HSP90 as a capacitor for loss of eyes in cavefish.
Science (New York, N.Y.) Dec, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24337296
Closing the wounds: one hundred and twenty five years of regenerative biology in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis.
Genesis (New York, N.Y. : 2000) Jan, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 24974948
The role of a lens survival pathway including sox2 and αA-crystallin in the evolution of cavefish eye degeneration.
EvoDevo , 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25210614
The cavefish genome reveals candidate genes for eye loss.
Nature communications , 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25329095
The Tunicate CIONA: A Model System for Understanding the Relationship Between Regeneration and Aging.
Invertebrate reproduction & development Jan, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25544801
Distinct genetic architecture underlies the emergence of sleep loss and prey-seeking behavior in the Mexican cavefish.
BMC biology , 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25761998
Genome editing using TALENs in blind Mexican Cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus.
PloS one , 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25774757
Distal Regeneration Involves the Age Dependent Activity of Branchial Sac Stem Cells in the Ascidian Ciona intestinalis.
Regeneration (Oxford, England) Feb, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25893097
Enhanced prey capture skills in Astyanax cavefish larvae are independent from eye loss.
EvoDevo , 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25908953
Evolution of the chordate regeneration blastema: Differential gene expression and conserved role of notch signaling during siphon regeneration in the ascidian Ciona.
Developmental biology Sep, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 26206613
Regeneration, Stem Cells, and Aging in the Tunicate Ciona: Insights from the Oral Siphon.
International review of cell and molecular biology , 2015 | Pubmed ID: 26404471
Complex Evolutionary and Genetic Patterns Characterize the Loss of Scleral Ossification in the Blind Cavefish Astyanax mexicanus.
PloS one , 2015 | Pubmed ID: 26649887
The Comparative Organismal Approach in Evolutionary Developmental Biology: Insights from Ascidians and Cavefish.
Current topics in developmental biology , 2016 | Pubmed ID: 26970636
Environmental DNA in subterranean biology: range extension and taxonomic implications for Proteus.
Scientific reports 03, 2017 | Pubmed ID: 28345609
Neural Crest Transplantation Reveals Key Roles in the Evolution of Cavefish Development.
Integrative and comparative biology 09, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 29718239
Behavioural changes controlled by catecholaminergic systems explain recurrent loss of pigmentation in cavefish.
Proceedings. Biological sciences 05, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 29720416
An epigenetic mechanism for cavefish eye degeneration.
Nature ecology & evolution 07, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 29807993
Maternal genetic effects in Astyanax cavefish development.
Developmental biology 09, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 30031754
Seeing a bright future for a blind fish.
Developmental biology 09, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 30166000
Progenitor targeting by adult stem cells in Ciona homeostasis, injury, and regeneration.
Developmental biology 04, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 30205080
The role of gene flow in rapid and repeated evolution of cave-related traits in Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus.
Molecular ecology Nov, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 30252986
Dual roles of the retinal pigment epithelium and lens in cavefish eye degeneration.
Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution 11, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 31930686
A hypomorphic cystathionine ß-synthase gene contributes to cavefish eye loss by disrupting optic vasculature.
Nature communications 06, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32487986
surface and cave fish morphs.
EvoDevo , 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32676179
Fundamental research questions in subterranean biology.
Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 12, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32841483
Author Correction: A hypomorphic cystathionine ß-synthase gene contributes to cavefish eye loss by disrupting optic vasculature.
Nature communications Oct, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 33093486