Masel group

Principal Investigator

masel@u.arizona.edu
Ph. 520 626 9888
Office: BSW508

I am interested in lots of different stuff, please browse the research links and publications! I don’t run a wet lab, so all these projects involve mathematics, simulations, downloading and analyzing pre-existing data, or all of the above. I try to work on systems where theoretical models can give insights that just wouldn’t be available any other way, and then to link these models to data. As a result, I tend to work on the transient dynamics of complex systems.

Most of the work in my group these days is connected in some way to the evolution of evolvability. I am most interested in models that explicitly capture mechanistic constraints, whether from biochemistry, molecular biology, cellular biology or physiology, and work out their evolutionary consequences.

I am an assistant professor in the department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and am a member of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs (GIDP) in Applied Math and Statistics. I am also a member of the BIO5 Institute.

Links:

• Faculty Bio Page
• Profile in Fall 2004 (Winter 2005) issue of Desert News & Views (look on p3)
• Podcast of public lecture on Evolution
• Radio Interview, The Science Show, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio National, March 10 2007
• Article in Tucson Citizen, June 23 2007
• Op Ed in Arizona Daily Star for Darwin’s 200th Birthday, Feb 12 2009

Publications:

Evolution

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• Lancaster, A. K., Bardill, J. P., True, H. L., & Masel, J. (in press). The spontaneous appearance rate of the yeast prion [PSI+] and its implications for the evolution of the evolvability properties of the [PSI+] system. Genetics.
• Masel, J., & Griswold, C. K. (2009). The strength of selection against the yeast prion [PSI+]. Genetics, 181(3), 1057-63. (PubMed) (doi)
• Griswold, C. K., & Masel, J. (2009). Complex adaptations can drive the evolution of the capacitor [PSI], even with realistic rates of yeast sex. PLoS Genet, 5(6), 1000517. (PubMed) (doi)
• Masel, J., & Siegal, M. L. (2009). Robustness: mechanisms and consequences. Trends Genet. (PubMed) (doi)
• Lancaster, A. K., & Masel, J. (2009). The evolution of reversible switches in the presence of irreversible mimics. Evolution, 63(9), 2350-62. (PubMed) (doi)
• Peterson, G. I., & Masel, J. (2009). Quantitative prediction of molecular clock and Ka/Ks at short timescales. Mol Biol Evol. (PubMed) (doi)
• Masel, J., & Maughan, H. (2007). Mutations leading to loss of sporulation ability in Bacillus subtilis are sufficiently frequent to favor genetic canalization. Genetics, 175(1), 453-7. (PubMed) (doi)
• Masel, J., King, O. D., & Maughan, H. (2007). The loss of adaptive plasticity during long periods of environmental stasis. Am Nat, 169(1), 38-46. (PubMed) (doi)
• King, O. D., & Masel, J. (2007). The evolution of bet-hedging adaptations to rare scenarios. Theor Pop Biol, 72, 560-575. (PDF) (doi)
• Giacomelli, M. G., Hancock, A. S., & Masel, J. (2007). The conversion of 3′ UTRs into coding regions. Mol Biol Evol, 24(2), 457-64. (PDF) (PubMed) (doi)
• Maughan, H., Masel, J., Birky Jr, C. W., & Nicholson, W. L. (2007). The roles of mutation accumulation and selection in loss of sporulation in experimental populations of Bacillus subtilis. Genetics, 177(2), 937-48. (PubMed) (doi)
• Masel, J. (2006). Cryptic genetic variation is enriched for potential adaptations. Genetics, 172(3), 1985-91. (PDF) (PubMed) (doi)
• Maughan, H., Callicotte, V., Hancock, A., Birky Jr, C. W., Nicholson, W. L., & Masel, J. (2006). The population genetics of phenotypic deterioration in experimental populations of Bacillus subtilis. Evolution, 60(4), 686-95. (PubMed)
• Masel, J. (2005). Evolutionary capacitance may be favored by natural selection. Genetics, 170(3), 1359-71. (PDF) (PubMed) (doi)
• Masel, J. (2004). Genetic assimilation can occur in the absence of selection for the assimilating phenotype, suggesting a role for the canalization heuristic. J Evol Biol, 17(5), 1106-10. (PubMed) (doi)
• Masel, J., & Bergman, A. (2003). The evolution of the evolvability properties of the yeast prion [PSI+]. Evolution, 57(7), 1498-512. (PubMed)

Prion biology

• Masel, J., Genoud, N., & Aguzzi, A. (2005). Efficient inhibition of prion replication by PrP-Fc₂ suggests that the prion is a PrP^Sc oligomer. J Mol Biol, 345(5), 1243-51. (PubMed) (doi)
• Masel, J., & Jansen, V. A. (2004). Prion kinetics. Biophys J, 87(1), 728. (PubMed) (doi)
• Masel, J., & Jansen, V. A. (2001). The measured level of prion infectivity varies in a predictable way according to the aggregation state of the infectious agent. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1535(2), 164-73. (PubMed)
• Masel, J., & Jansen, V. A. (2000). Designing drugs to stop the formation of prion aggregates and other amyloids. Biophys Chem, 88(1-3), 47-59. (PubMed)
• Masel, J., Jansen, V. A., & Nowak, M. A. (1999). Quantifying the kinetic parameters of prion replication. Biophys Chem, 77(2-3), 139-52. (PubMed)
• Masel, J., & Jansen, V. A. (1999). The kinetics of proteinase K digestion of linear prion polymers. Proc Biol Sci, 266(1431), 1927-31. (PubMed) (doi)

Other

• Masel, J. (2007). A Bayesian model of quasi-magical thinking can explain observed co-operation in the public good game. J. Econ. Behav. Organ., 64, 216-231. (PDF) (doi)
• Bliss, T. M., Kelly, S., Shah, A. K., Foo, W. C., Kohli, P., & Stokes, C., et al. (2006). Transplantation of hNT neurons into the ischemic cortex: cell survival and effect on sensorimotor behavior. J Neurosci Res, 83(6), 1004-14. (PubMed) (doi)
• Kelly, S., Bliss, T. M., Shah, A. K., Sun, G. H., Ma, M., & Foo, W. C., et al. (2004). Transplanted human fetal neural stem cells survive, migrate, and differentiate in ischemic rat cerebral cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 101(32), 11839-44. (PubMed) (doi)
• Masel, J., Arnaout, R. A., O’Brien, T. R., Goedert, J. J., & Lloyd, A. L. (2000). Fluctuations in HIV-1 viral load are correlated to CD4+ T-lymphocyte count during the natural course of infection. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr, 23(5), 375-9. (PubMed)
• Hazelton, N. W. J., Bennet, L. M., & Masel, J. (1992). Topological structures for 4-dimensional geographical information systems. Computers, Environment, and Urban Systems, 16, 227-237.