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Billie J-Swalla

Billie J Swalla
Professor
bjswalla@u.washington.edu
551 LSB
(206) 616-9367
Evolution and Development of Animal Body Plans
Not accepting graduate students
Fields of interest
Development, Evolution & Systematics, Marine Biology

We are studying how different animal body plans have evolved on the earth. We use a combination of evolutionary and developmental studies to investigate how a single fertilized egg develops a unique morphology, depending on the spatial and temporal expression of developmental genes. The main model systems used in my lab are ascidians and hemichordates, as our major research interest is the evolution of the chordates.

One part of my lab works on the molecular phylogeny of the deuterostomes in a effort to understand the phylogenetic relationships of the different deuterostome groups. We study the phylogeny of the tunicates and hemichordates. We are interested in the relationships of species within each phyla and how the phyla are related to each other. Our best guess about the phylogeny of the deuterostomes is shown in the figure on this page.

We are studying how coloniality has evolved several times in the deuterostomes, by studying the development of colonial ascidians and hemichordates (pterobranchs). One of my students is studying the development and potential of germ cells in colonial ascidians. Other students work on the developmental mechanisms underlying development and metamorphosis. We use a variety of research tools and approaches in an effort to understand the evolution of animal body plans, particularly the chordate body plan.

Professor Billie J. Swalla is a Professor of Biology at the University of Washington and an expert in Marine Genomics. She was the first female Director of Friday Harbor Laboratories from 2012 - 2019. Professor Swalla began her career at the University of Iowa, working on cartilage and muscle differentiation and limb patterning in chicken embryos with Professor Michael Solursh.  A summer taking Embryology at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA changed her life and she moved to Postdoctoral studies with Professor William R. Jeffery at the University of Texas at Austin and Bodega Marine Lab at the University of California at Davis. Dr. Swalla worked on the molecular basis of development in tailed and tailless ascidians for Postdoctoral studies, and continued research into the evolution of chordates. Early in the 1990's she began working on molecular phylogenies of the deuterostomes and proposed a new hypothesis for a worm-like deuterostome ancestor in 2000. Molecular phylogenies led to her understanding the importance of hemichordates to understanding the evolution of chordates, and she began working on hemichordate evolution and development in 1997.  Her lab continues to work on tunicate and hemichordate phylogenies, evolution and development, and chordate origins. In 2010, she began a new project studying ctenophore evolution and development with Professor Leonid Moroz from the University of Florida. Her lab currently uses transcriptomics and genomics to investigate the evolution of animal body plans, using an Evolution and Development approach.

Getting a Head with Ptychodera flava Larval Regeneration, Swalla, B. J., Y-H Su, and Luttrell S. , The Biological Bulletin, Volume 234, p. 152-164., (2018)
ANISEED 2015: a digital framework for the comparative developmental biology of ascidians., Brozovic, Matija, Martin Cyril, Dantec Christelle, Dauga Delphine, Mendez Mickaël, Simion Paul, Percher Madeline, Laporte Baptiste, Scornavacca Céline, Di Gregorio Anna, et al. , Nucleic acids research, 2016 Jan 4, Volume 44, Issue D1, p.D808-18, (2016)
Biogeography of Phallusia nigra: Is It Really Black and White?, Vandepas, Lauren E., Oliveira Livia M., Lee Serina S. C., Hirose Euichi, Rocha Rosana M., and Swalla Billie J. , The Biological bulletin, 2015 Feb, Volume 228, Issue 1, p.52-64, (2015)
Guidelines for the nomenclature of genetic elements in tunicate genomes., Stolfi, Alberto, Sasakura Yasunori, Chalopin Domitille, Satou Yutaka, Christiaen Lionel, Dantec Christelle, Endo Toshinori, Naville Magali, Nishida Hiroki, Swalla Billie J., et al. , Genesis (New York, N.Y. : 2000), 2015 Jan, Volume 53, Issue 1, p.1-14, (2015)
Metamorphosis in solitary ascidians., Karaiskou, Anthi, Swalla Billie J., Sasakura Yasunori, and Chambon Jean-Philippe , Genesis (New York, N.Y. : 2000), 2015 Jan, Volume 53, Issue 1, p.34-47, (2015)
The ctenophore genome and the evolutionary origins of neural systems., Moroz, Leonid L., Kocot Kevin M., Citarella Mathew R., Dosung Sohn, Norekian Tigran P., Povolotskaya Inna S., Grigorenko Anastasia P., Dailey Christopher, Berezikov Eugene, Buckley Katherine M., et al. , Nature, 2014 Jun 5, Volume 510, Issue 7503, p.109-14, (2014)
Metamorphosis in solitary ascidians., Karaiskou, Anthi, Swalla Billie J., Sasakura Yasunori, and Chambon Jean-Philippe , Genesis (New York, N.Y. : 2000), 2014 Sep 24, (2014)
Divergent mechanisms regulate conserved cardiopharyngeal development and gene expression in distantly related ascidians., Stolfi, Alberto, Lowe Elijah K., Racioppi Claudia, Ristoratore Filomena, Brown Titus C., Swalla Billie J., and Christiaen Lionel , eLife, 2014, Volume 3, p.e03728, (2014)
Phylogenomic resolution of the hemichordate and echinoderm clade., Cannon, Johanna T., Kocot Kevin M., Waits Damien S., Weese David A., Swalla Billie J., Santos Scott R., and Halanych Kenneth M. , Current Biology : CB, 2014 Dec 1, Volume 24, Issue 23, p.2827-2832, (2014)
Arthur H. Whiteley (1916-2013)., Stricker, Stephen A., and Swalla Billie J. , Molecular reproduction and development, 2013 Jul, Volume 80, Issue 7, p.Fmi-Fmiii, (2013)
Modern Antarctic acorn worms form tubes., Halanych, Kenneth M., Cannon Johanna T., Mahon Andrew R., Swalla Billie J., and Smith Craig R. , Nature communications, 2013, Volume 4, p.2738, (2013)
Hemichordate molecular phylogeny reveals a novel cold-water clade of harrimaniid acorn worms., Cannon, Johanna T., Swalla Billie J., and Halanych Kenneth M. , The Biological bulletin, 2013 Dec, Volume 225, Issue 3, p.194-204, (2013)
MicroRNAs support the monophyly of enteropneust hemichordates., Peterson, Kevin J., Su Yi-Hsien, Arnone Maria Ina, Swalla Billie, and King Benjamin L. , Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution, 2013 Sep, Volume 320, Issue 6, p.368-74, (2013)
Developmental mode influences diversification in ascidians., Maliska, Max E., Pennell Matthew W., and Swalla Billie J. , Biology letters, 2013 Jun 23, Volume 9, Issue 3, p.20130068, (2013)
Evolution and development of budding by stem cells: ascidian coloniality as a case study., Brown, Federico D., and Swalla Billie J. , Developmental biology, 2012 Sep 15, Volume 369, Issue 2, p.151-62, (2012)
Ptychoderid hemichordate neurulation without a notochord., Luttrell, Shawn, Konikoff Charlotte, Byrne Alana, Bengtsson Barbara, and Swalla Billie J. , Integrative and comparative biology, 2012 Dec, Volume 52, Issue 6, p.829-34, (2012)
Boltenia embryos flash an orange crescent., Swalla, Billie J., and Sherrard Kristin , Molecular reproduction and development, 2011 Oct-Nov, Volume 78, Issue 10-11, p.703, (2011)
Global diversity of Ascidiacea., Shenkar, Noa, and Swalla Billie J. , PloS one, 2011, Volume 6, Issue 6, p.e20657, (2011)
Phylogeography and reproductive variation of the poecilogonous polychaete Boccardia proboscidea (Annelida: Spionidae) along the West Coast of North America., Oyarzun, Fernanda X., Mahon Andrew R., Swalla Billie J., and Halanych Kenneth M. , Evolution & development, 2011 Nov-Dec, Volume 13, Issue 6, p.489-503, (2011)
Molgula pugetiensis is a Pacific tailless ascidian within the Roscovita clade of molgulids., Maliska, Max E., and Swalla Billie J. , The Biological bulletin, 2010 Dec, Volume 219, Issue 3, p.277-82, (2010)
Molecular phylogeny of hemichordata, with updated status of deep-sea enteropneusts, Cannon, J. T., Rychel A. L., Eccleston H., Halanych K. M., and Swalla B. J. , Mol Phylogenet Evol, 2009, Volume 52, Issue 1, p.17-24, (2009)
Early lineage specification of long-lived germline precursors in the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri, Brown, F. D., Tiozzo S., Roux M. M., Ishizuka K., Swalla B. J., and De Tomaso A. W. , Development, 2009, Volume 136, Issue 20, p.3485-94, (2009)
Whole body regeneration in a colonial ascidian, Botrylloides violaceus., Brown, Federico D., Keeling Elena L., Le Anna D., and Swalla Billie J. , Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution, 2009 Dec 15, Volume 312, Issue 8, p.885-900, (2009)
Anterior regeneration in the hemichordate Ptychodera flava, Rychel, A. L., and Swalla B. J. , Dev Dyn, 2008, Volume 237, Issue 11, p.3222-32, (2008)
Deciphering deuterostome phylogeny: molecular, morphological and palaeontological perspectives, Swalla, B. J., and Smith A. B. , Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 2008, Volume 363, Issue 1496, p.1557-68, (2008)
Man is but a worm: chordate origins, Brown, F. D., Prendergast A., and Swalla B. J. , Genesis, 2008, Volume 46, Issue 11, p.605-13, (2008)
Analysis of large scale expression sequenced tags (ESTs) from the anural ascidian, Molgula tectiformis., Gyoja, Fuki, Satou Yutaka, Shin-i Tadasu, Kohara Yuji, Swalla Billie J., and Satoh Nori , Developmental biology, 2007 Jul 15, Volume 307, Issue 2, p.460-82, (2007)
The Hsp90 capacitor, developmental remodeling, and evolution: the robustness of gene networks and the curious evolvability of metamorphosis., Rutherford, Suzannah, Hirate Yoshikazu, and Swalla Billie J. , Critical reviews in biochemistry and molecular biology, 2007 Sep-Oct, Volume 42, Issue 5, p.355-72, (2007)
Development and evolution of chordate cartilage., Rychel, Amanda L., and Swalla Billie J. , Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution, 2007 May 15, Volume 308, Issue 3, p.325-35, (2007)
Vasa expression in a colonial ascidian, Botrylloides violaceus., Brown, Federico D., and Swalla Billie J. , Evolution & development, 2007 Mar-Apr, Volume 9, Issue 2, p.165-77, (2007)
A complement response may activate metamorphosis in the ascidian Boltenia villosa., Roberts, Brock, Davidson Brad, MacMaster Glen, Lockhart Victoria, Ma Eva, Wallace Shannon Smith, and Swalla Billie J. , Development genes and evolution, 2007 Jun, Volume 217, Issue 6, p.449-58, (2007)