Dr Mirko Pegoraro
School of Biological and Environmental Sciences
Faculty of Science
Email: M.Pegoraro@ljmu.ac.uk
Telephone: 0151 231 2175
ORCID
"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution". Dobzhansky’s remark is at the base of my scientific interests. I seek to understand evolution through natural selection at multiple levels, from its molecular mechanisms to a possible epigenetic component. A deep understanding of the relationship between genes, their function, and their evolution, shall give us a better opportunity to explain the delicate interactions between individuals, different species and the environment.
Since life began four billion years ago, organisms were subjected to continuous night day cycles that most probably drove the selection of a molecular clock that allow them to anticipate daily variation in environmental clues. It is possible to recognize a molecular mechanism that generates circadian rhythms of behaviour, metabolism and physiology in all higher organisms and in some prokaryotes. The photoperiodic adaptation of animals that inhabit temperate climate is very interesting from an evolutionary point of view and to monitor climate changes.
I am interested of studying the evolution of the circadian clock and the seasonal timer and cold adaptation in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and in the jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis.
Gut Microbiota influences flies metabolism, their mating preferences, their fitness strategies.
I am interested in exploring how the gut microbiota participates to flies overwintering strategies and seasonal adaptation.
Flies are model organisms for studying neurogenetics, molecular evolution and behavioural genetics. The combination of these studies can lead to elucidate molecular mechanisms of animal behaviour. Nasonia is a parasitic wasp that has the potential to become the epigenetic molecular model for insect epigenetics.
Languages
Italian
English
Portuguese
Degrees
2004, University of Padova, Italy, PhD
Academic appointments
Lecturer in Epigenetics, Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, 2018 - present
Postgraduate training
Research Associate, United Kingdom, University of Leicester, 2016 - 2018
Research Associate, UK, University of Leicester, 2007 - 2016
Post Doctoral Research, Italy, University of Padova, 2006 - 2007
Journal article
Hunt BJ, Pegoraro M, Marshall H, Mallon EB. 2024. A role for DNA methylation in bumblebee morphogenesis hints at female-specific developmental erasure Insect Molecular Biology, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pegoraro M, Fishman B, Zonato V, Zouganelis G, Francis A, Kyriacou CP, Tauber E. 2022. Photoperiod-Dependent Expression of MicroRNA in Drosophila International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23 :4935 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Deppisch P, Prutscher JM, Pegoraro M, Tauber E, Wegener C, Helfrich-Förster C. 2022. Adaptation of Drosophila melanogaster to Long Photoperiods of High-Latitude Summers Is Facilitated by the ls-Timeless Allele Journal of Biological Rhythms, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pegoraro M, Rezek ES, Fishman B, Tauber E. 2022. Nucleotide Variation in Drosophila cryptochrome Is Linked to Circadian Clock Function: An Association Analysis Frontiers in Physiology, 13 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pegoraro M, Weedall GD. 2021. Malaria in the 'Omics Era'. Genes, 12 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pegoraro M, Flavell LMM, Menegazzi P, Colombi P, Dao P, Helfrich-Förster C, Tauber E. 2020. The genetic basis of diurnal preference in Drosophila melanogaster. BMC Genomics, 21 :596-596 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Bebane PSA, Hunt BJ, Pegoraro M, Jones ARC, Marshall H, Rosato E, Mallon EB. 2019. The effects of the neonicotinoid imiacloprid on gene expression and DNA methylation in the buff-tailed bumblebee Bombus terrestris Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 286 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
McCoy VE, Soriano C, Pegoraro M, Luo T, Boom A, Foxman B, Gabbott SE. 2018. Unlocking preservation bias in the amber insect fossil record through experimental decay. PLoS One, 13 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Noreen S, Pegoraro M, Nouroz F, Tauber E, Kyriacou CP. 2018. Interspecific studies of circadian genes period and timeless in Drosophila Gene, 648 :106-114 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pegoraro M, Marshall H, Lonsdale ZN, Mallon EB. 2017. Do social insects support Haig's kin theory for the evolution of genomic imprinting? EPIGENETICS, 12 :725-742 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Zonato V, Collins L, Pegoraro M, Tauber E, Kyriacou CP. 2017. Is diapause an ancient adaptation in Drosophila? Journal of Insect Physiology, 98 :267-274 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pegoraro M, Zonato V, Tyler ER, Fedele G, Kyriacou CP, Tauber E. 2017. Geographical analysis of diapause inducibility in European Drosophila melanogaster populations Journal of Insect Physiology, 98 :238-244 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pegoraro M, Bafna A, Davies NJ, Shuker DM, Tauber E. 2016. DNA methylation changes induced by long and short photoperiods in Nasonia GENOME RESEARCH, 26 :203-210 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pegoraro M, Picot E, Hansen CN, Kyriacou CP, Rosato E, Tauber E. 2015. Gene expression associated with early and late chronotypes in Drosophila melanogaster FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY, 6 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pegoraro M, Gesto JS, Kyriacou CP, Tauber E. 2014. Role for Circadian Clock Genes in Seasonal Timing: Testing the Bunning Hypothesis PLoS Genetics, 10 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Pegoraro M, Noreen S, Bhutani S, Tsolou A, Schmid R, Kyriacou CP, Tauber E. 2014. Molecular Evolution of a Pervasive Natural Amino-Acid Substitution in Drosophila cryptochrome PLoS One, 9 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Vanin S, Bhutani S, Montelli S, Menegazzi P, Green EW, Pegoraro M, Sandrelli F, Costa R, Kyriacou CP. 2012. Unexpected features of Drosophila circadian behavioural rhythms under natural conditions NATURE, 484 :371-U108 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Pegoraro M, Tauber E. 2011. Animal clocks: a multitude of molecular mechanisms for circadian timekeeping WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA, 2 :312-320 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Pegoraro M, Tauber E. 2008. The role of microRNAs (miRNA) in circadian rhythmicity JOURNAL OF GENETICS, 87 :505-511 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Sandrelli F, Tauber E, Pegoraro M, Mazzotta G, Cisotto P, Landskron J, Stanewsky R, Piccin A, Rosato E, Zordan M, Costa R, Kyriacou CP. 2007. A molecular basis for natural selection at the timeless locus in Drosophila melanogaster SCIENCE, 316 :1898-1900 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Tauber E, Zordan M, Sandrelli F, Pegoraro M, Osterwalder N, Breda C, Daga A, Selmin A, Monger K, Benna C, Rosato E, Kyriacou CP, Costa R. 2007. Natural selection favors a newly derived timeless allele in Drosophila melanogaster SCIENCE, 316 :1895-1898 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Sandrelli F, Cappellozza S, Benna C, Saviane A, Mastella A, Mazzotta GM, Moreau S, Pegoraro M, Piccin A, Zordan MA, Cappellozza L, Kyriacou CP, Costa R. 2007. Phenotypic effects induced by knock-down of the period clock gene in Bombyx mori GENETICS RESEARCH, 89 :73-84 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Zordan MA, Cisotto P, Benna C, Agostino A, Rizzo G, Piccin A, Pegoraro M, Sandrelli F, Perini G, Tognon G, De Caro R, Peron S, Kronnie TT, Megighian A, Reggiani C, Zeviani M, Costa R. 2006. Post-transcriptional silencing and functional characterization of the Drosophila melanogaster homolog of human Surf1 GENETICS, 172 :229-241 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
preprint
Hunt BJ, Pegoraro M, Marshall H, Mallon EB. 2023. A role for DNA methylation in bumblebee morphogenesis hints at female-specific developmental erasure bioRxiv DOI Publisher Url
Pegoraro M, Flavell LMM, Menegazzi P, Colombi P, Dao P, Helfrich-Förster C, Tauber E. 2019. The genetic basis of diurnal preference in Drosophila melanogaster Research Square Platform LLC DOI Publisher Url
Pegoraro M, Tauber E. 2018. Photoperiod-dependent expression of MicroRNA in Drosophila Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DOI Publisher Url
Pegoraro M, Flavell LMM, Menegazzi P, Colombi P, Dao P, Helfrich-Förster C, Tauber E. 2018. Genomic Response to Selection for Diurnality and Nocturnality in Drosophila Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DOI Publisher Url
Conference publication
McCoy VE, Soriano C, Pegoraro M, Gabbott SE. 2016. THE INFLUENCE OF DEHYDRATION AND GUT BIOTA ON PRESERVATION IN AMBER Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, GSA Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, USA - 2016 DOI Publisher Url
Chapters
Green EW, O'Callaghan EK, Pegoraro M, Armstrong JD, Costa R, Kyriacou CP. 2015. Genetic Analysis of Drosophila Circadian Behavior in Seminatural Conditions Sehgal A. 551 :121-133 Elsevier DOI Author Url Publisher Url