Kim A. Hughes, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Evolutionary Biology

Department of Animal Biology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
515 Morrill Hall
505 S. Goodwin Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
Phone: (217) 244-6632
Fax: (217) 244-4565
E-mail: kahughes@life.uiuc.edu

Area of Interest

Lifespan and the rate of aging are complex phenotypes that are affected by multiple genes and by nongenetic sources of variation. The extensive within-population genetic variation that exists for these traits is problematic because these are phenotypes that should be subject to strong natural selection to eliminate variation. My lab works to document the extent of genetic variation for longevity and reproductive traits, to locate specific genes (or chromosomal regions) associated with this variation, and to understand the causes and consequences of the variation. We use techniques of experimental quantitative genetics, QTL mapping, global gene expression (microarrays), and demographic analysis to investigate genetic and nongenetic causes of variation in longevity.

Funded projects related to aging:
i) An experimental study of the causes of mortality plateaus in Drosophila (National Institute on Aging).
ii) QTL (quantitative trait locus) mapping and microarray analysis of male fertility traits in Drosophila melanogaster (NSF).

Publications

Hughes, K.A., J.A. Alipaz, J.M. Drnevich, and R.M. Reynolds. 2002. A test of evolutionary theories of senescence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 99: 14286­14291.

Sawby, R.J. and K.A. Hughes. 2001. Male genotype affects female longevity in sperm competition trials. Evolution: 55: 834-839.

Shaw, F., D. Promislow, M. Tatar, K. Hughes, and C. Geyer. 1999. Towards reconciling inferences concerning genetic variation in senescence. Genetics 152:553-566.

Charlesworth, B. and K.A. Hughes. 1996. Age-specific inbreeding depression and components of genetic variance in relation to the evolution of senescence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 93:6140-6145.

Hughes, K.A. and B. Charlesworth. 1994. A genetic analysis of senescence in Drosophila. Nature 367:64-66.

Keywords

evolution, genetics, reproduction, senescence, Drosophila