My research is motivated by a desire to answer one of the fundamental questions in evolutionary biology – the genetic changes that underlie phenotypic differences between closely related species.  Although the questions are always raised from evolutionary point of view, our works provide clues in understanding how life was formed at the molecular level.  In the past few years, I have initiated three major projects namely, molecular genetics of hybrid sterility, genetic analyses of racial differentiation (in collaboration with Shu Fang at RCBAS), and QTL mapping of cryptic female choice.  Our works on hybrid male sterility lead us to discover a novel transcription factor which possess function in spermatogenesis.  We are studying the gene function at both molecular and cellular levels.  Project on phenotypic and genotypic differences for behavior races enables us to understand the genetic basis of male pheromone differences, and it is possible to further identify the molecular and cellular bases of female receptors in the near future. QTL analyses help us to reveal the genetic architecture of cryptic female choice.  Preliminary results show only a few QTLs on two major autosomes contribute to this phenotype.  We will combine introgression technique for the final mapping.

In my laboratory, we routinely apply classical genetic approaches to map genes responsible for reproductive isolation, then we can clone the genes and study its functions via molecular genetic techniques (molecular cloning, gene knockout/knockdown, and P transformation just name a few).  Recently, we expanded our work by utilizing genomic approaches, such as expression profiling by microarray and large-scale transcriptome/genome sequences.  With 12 Drosophila genomes available, we began to study the evolutionary patterns across Drosophila, and try to understand the evolutionary forces shaping genome evolution.  In addition, these genomic resources also provide us basic evolutionary information of candidate genes identified by classical genetic approaches.  For example, our recently work (in collaboration with Shu Fang and Shun-Chern Tsaur at RCBAS) on desaturase genes show that one of the members evolves rapidly and this rapid evolution and the accelerated evolution rate might be associated with the role it plays in sexual dimorphic pheromone synthesis.

Publications

Ting, C.-T.*, S. C. Tsaur, S. Sun, W. E. Browne, N. H. Patel, Y.-C. Chen and C.-I Wu. 2004 Gene duplication and speciation in Drosophila – Evidence from the Odysseus locus. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101: 12232-12235. [PubMed] [Pdf]

Sun, S., C.-T. Ting, and C.-I. Wu. 2004 On the normal function of a speciation gene, Odysseus, and its hybrid sterility effect. Science 305: 81-83. [PubMed] [Pdf]

Wu, C.-I and C.-T. Ting. 2004 Genes and Speciation. Nat. Rev. Genetics 5:114-122. PubMed Pdf

Takahashi, A. and C.-T. Ting. 2004. Genetic basis of sexual isolation in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetica 120:273-284. [PubMed] [Pdf]

Ting C. -T., A. Takahashi, and C.-I Wu. 2001. Incipient speciation by sexual isolation in Drosophila: Concurrent evolution at multiple loci. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98: 6709-6713. [PubMed] [Pdf]

Tsaur, S. C., C. -T. Ting, and C.-I Wu. 2001. Sex in Drosophila mauritiana: Very high level of amino acid polymorphism in a male reproductive protein gene, Acp26Aa. Mol. Biol. Evol. 18:22-26. [PubMed] [Pdf]

Ting, C.-T., S. C. Tsaur, and C.-I Wu. 2000. The phylogeny of closely related species as revealed by the genealogy of a speciation gene, Odysseus. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:5313-5316. [PubMed] [Pdf]

Ting, C.-T., S. C. Tsaur, M.-L. Wu and C.-I Wu. 1998. A rapidly evolving homeobox at the site of a hybrid sterility gene. Science 282:1501-1504. [PubMed] [Pdf]

Tsaur, S. C., C.-T. Ting and C. -I Wu. 1998. Positive selection driving the evolution of a gene of male reproduction, Acp26Aa of Drosophila: II. Divergence vs. polymorphism. Mol. Biol. Evol. 15:1040-1046. [PubMed] [Pdf]

Hollocher, H., C.-T. Ting, M.-L Wu, and C. -I Wu. 1997. Incipient speciation by sexual isolation in Drosophila melanogaster: extensive genetic divergence without reinforcement. Genetics 147:1191-1201. [PubMed] [Pdf]

Hollocher, H., C.-T. Ting, F. Pollack, and C. -I Wu. 1997. Incipient speciation by sexual isolation in Drosophila melanogaster: variation in mating preference and correlation between sexes. Evolution 51(4):1175-1181. [PubMed] [Pdf]

Chang, H., C.-T. Ting, and F. J. Lin. 1994. On the low genetic variability in Drosophila immigrans and D. formosana. Zoological Studies 33(4):278-286. [PubMed] [Pdf]