Kyle McElroy

Light detection is a monumentally important biological function observed across cellular life. Animals use light to regulate physiological and developmental processes, sense danger, and visualize their environment. I am interested in the genomic basis of novel eye types and the evolution of light-detecting proteins, specifically opsins, the large family of proteins that initiate phototransduction in animals for vision and the regulation of processes like circadian rhythm.

Specifically, I study the evolution of eyes in pteriomorphian bivalves, the group that includes scallops, oysters, and mussels, where eyes evolved at least five times independently. Using comparative genomics and transcriptomics, I explore whether similar or different genes underly the evolution and function of eyes in these species, and the role of gene duplication in novelty. I also use an experimental system to express opsins outside of the organism to directly measure their spectral properties and connect sequence evolution with function. With this system, I have been able to identify specific amino acids in scallop opsins responsible for changing wavelength sensitivities.

My research with the Serb Lab has been an excellent setting to continue my broader goals of connecting genomic and organismal evolution and investigating the extent to which evolution repeats itself. As an evolutionary biologist, this question has now motivated my research across a wide range of fundamental topics, including why sexual reproduction is so common, how novel traits arise, and how protein function changes.