Jason Presnell

I am a developmental biologist by training but have a broader interest in genetics and evolution. Although I have worked with a variety of animal and plant systems in my research career, most of my training has been involved with a group of animals called ctenophores. These marine invertebrate animals, also known as comb jellies, can be characterized by two interesting facts: 1) they are the only animal that produces ctenes — paddle-like structures made up of large, fused cilia arranged in longitudinal rows around the body used for locomotion, and 2) the Ctenophora phylum is among the earliest extant metazoan lineages (along with sponges and cnidarians), but with a lot of evidence supporting ctenophores as the earliest extant branch of the metazoan tree. This makes these animals a valuable model for understanding how different traits have evolved throughout the course of animal evolutionary history. For my dissertation work in William Browne’s lab in Miami, I studied the role of KLF genes during development of the ctenophore species Mnemiopsis leidyi, uncovering some potential early roles of this gene family during animal evolution. In addition, I helped develop a system for maintaining ctenophores in the lab across multiple generations, and pioneered CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing techniques in Mnemiopsis leidyi paving the way for it to be a tractable genetic model for ctenophore biology.

After a brief postdoctoral position in the Weis lab at Oregon State, where I worked on symbiotic sea anemones called Aiptasia, I worked in Kristen Kwan’s and Nathan Clark’s (now at UPitt) labs at the University of Utah. There I used zebrafish as a model to study the cellular and molecular basis of early vertebrate eye development. Here at KU, I will continue to explore my research interests at the intersection of development and evolution focused on these two broad questions: 1) how does the ctenophore embryo take shape? and 2) how does ctenophore development, and their biology in general, inform what is known about how complex animal traits have evolved? In addition, I will be working in Allie Graham’s lab helping to uncover the mechanisms of hypoxia tolerance and adaptation using a variety of animals (zebrafish, copepods, and ctenophores).