Dr Peter Dearden - InvitrogenTM Life Science Award 2007

Dr Peter Dearden
Biochemistry Department
University of Otago

My research interests are in evolution and development, particularly in trying to understand how, at the molecular level, morphology evolves and in identifying ancient and conserved developmental programs.

I did my undergraduate degree at Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand and my PhD in the Biochemistry Department, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (University of London) on Drosophila neurogenesis.

I completed a Post-doc in the laboratory of Prof. Michael Akam in the Museum of Zoology, Zoology department, Cambridge University in evolution and development in arthropods. I then did a short post-doc jointly between the Zoology Department, University of Western Ontario and the Southern Crop Protection and Food Research Center, London Ontario, on functional genomics in the two-spotted spider mite.

Since returning to New Zealand in 2002, I have set up the Laboratory for Evolution and Development and begun research into the evolution of segmentation mechanisms in insects and the development of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis. I am also studying the genetic control of caste development in honeybees (in association with the National Research Centre for Growth and Development).

Publications

M.J. Wilson and P.K. Dearden (2008). Evolution of the Insect Sox genes. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 8:120 doi:10.1186/1471-2148-8-120[PDF].
Julia M. Young, Jennifer L. Juengel, Kenneth G. Dodds, Mhairi Laird, Peter K. Dearden, Alan S. McNeilly, Kenneth P. McNatty, Theresa Wilson. (2008)The ALK6 Booroola mutation enhances suppressive effects of BMP2, -4, -6 and GDF9 on FSH release from ovine primary pituitary cell cultures. Journal of Endocrinology, 196(2):251-261[PDF].
The Honeybee genome sequencing consortium (Includes P.K Dearden and M.J. Wilson) (2006) Insights into social insects from the genome of the honey bee Apis mellifera Nature, 443. 931-949 [PDF]
P.K. Dearden, M.J. Wilson, L. Sablan, P.W. Osborne, M. Havler,E. McNaughton, K. Kimura, N Milshina, M. Hasselmann, T. Gempe, M. Schioett, S.J. Brown, C. Elsik, P.W.H Holland, T. Kadowaki, M. Beye. (2006). Patterns of conservation and change in Honeybee developmental genes. Genome Research,16: 1376-1384.[PDF]
Sabater-Munoz, B., F. Legeai, C. Rispe, J. Bonhomme, PK. Dearden, C. Dossat, A. Duclert, J. P. Gauthier, D. G. Ducray, W. Hunter, P. Dang, S. Kambhampati, D. Martinez-Torres, T. Cortes, A. Moya, A. Nakabachi, C. Philippe, N. Prunier-Leterme, Y. Rahbe, J. C. Simon, D. L. Stern, P. Wincker and D. Tagu (2006). "Large-scale gene discovery in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera)." Genome Biol 7(3): R21.[PDF]
Dearden PK (2006) Germ cell development in the Honeybee (Apis mellifera); vasa and nanos expression, BMC Developmental Biology 6, 6 DOI:10.1186/1471-213X-6-6. [PDF]
Ariana Hemara-Wahanui , Stanislav Berjukow , Carolyn I Hope , Peter K Dearden , Shu-Biao Wu , Jane Wilson-Wheeler, Dianne M Sharp , Patricia Lundon-Treweek, Gillian M Clover, Jean-Charles Hoda, Jörg Striessnig, Rainer Marksteiner, Steffen Hering and Marion A Maw (2005) A CACNA1F mutation identified in an X-linked retinal disorder shifts the voltage-dependence of Cav1.4 channel activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 102 7553-7558. [PDF]
Osborne P, Dearden PK (2005) Expression of Pax Group III genes in the Honeybee (Apis mellifera). Development, Genes and Evolution.[PDF]
Osborne P, Dearden PK (2005) Non-radioactive in situ hybridisation to honeybee embryos and ovaries. Apidologie 36 113-118. [PDF]
Denton MJ, Dearden PK, Sowerby SJ (2003) Physical law not natural selection as the major determinant of biological complexity in the subcellular realm: new support for the pre-Darwinian conception of evolution by natural lawBiosystems 71 (3): 297-303 [PDF]
P.K. Dearden, M. Grbic´, C. Donly (2003) Vasa expression and Germ Cell Specification in the Spider mite Tetranychus urticae. Genes, Development and Evolution, 212(12):599-603. [PDF]
P.K. Dearden, C Donly and M Grbic´(2002) Expression of pair-rule gene homologues in a chelicerate: early patterning of the Two-Spotted Spider Mite Tetranychus urticae Development. 129(23) 5461-5472 [PDF]
C. Chang, P.K. Dearden and M. Akam (2002) Expression of the germ determinant vasa in the grasshopper,Schistocerca gregaria, Developmental Biology. 252(1) 100-118. [PDF]
P.K. Dearden, M. Akam (2001) Early embryo patterning in the Grasshopper, Schistocerca gregaria; wingless, dpp andcaudal expression., Development 128(18) 3435-3444. [PDF]
Lawrence, N, P.K. Dearden, D. Hartley, J. Roose, H. Clevers, and A. Martinez Arias (2000).A Groucho protein that lacks the WD40 repeats modulates Wingless signalling in Drosophila and reveals dominant repressor properties of dTCF. International Journal of Developmental Biology, 44(7), 749-756 [PDF]
P.K. Dearden, M. Grbic´, F. Falciani, M. Akam (2000) Maternal and Early Zygotic expression of the Hox3/zen gene of the Grasshopper Schistocerca gregaria. Evolution and Development 2(5), 261-270 [PDF]
P.K. Dearden, Michael Akam (2000) A role for Fringe in segment morphogenesis but not segment formation in the grasshopper, Schistocerca gregaria Development, Genes and Evolution 210, 7: 329-336 [PDF]
P. K. Dearden; Michael Akam; (2000) Segmentation in silico Nature 406 6792:131 - 132 [PDF]
P.K. Dearden, Akam M (1999) Developmental evolution: Axial patterning in insects.Current Biology 26 9:16 R591-4 [PDF]
Trewick SA, Dearden P.K. (1994) A rapid protocol for DNA extraction and primer annealing for PCR sequencing.Biotechniques 17:5 842-4