Brian Fritz, Ph.D.

Brian Fritz
Brian Fritz

Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

bfritz@fhcrc.org

  • B.A. Chemistry (1996)
    Kalamazoo College
  • Ph.D. Biomolecular Chemistry (2002)
    University of Wisconsin, Madison

Research Interests | Publications


Research Interests

I joined the Peichel Lab in 2003 because as I graduate student I developed an interest in identifying the molecular basis of evolution. I was really excited by the experimental approach of using QTL analysis to identify (in an unbiased way) the genetic basis for phenotypic differences between natural vertebrate populations. I have thereby come to appreciate sticklebacks as a model organism. Although they are not as cute and cuddly as others, I really love collecting them from the wild and gaining that much more of an intimate understanding of their local ecology and the selective pressures they face in the wild.

Connor Creek fish
Fish from Conner Creek, WA
I have been studying reproductive isolation between stickleback populations as a result of differences in male breeding color and female perception of and preference for different male colors. Male threespine sticklebacks typically display a bright red throat and blue iris during the breeding season, and these colorful signals are an important cue used by females making mate choice decisions. In the Pacific Northwest, several populations of sticklebacks have evolved an alternative black signal that offers greater contrast against the red-tinted water in which they are found. In some locations, black and red populations co-exist, but are reproductively isolated from each other, suggesting that differences in female color perception and preference for male breeding color displays contribute to reproductive isolation between these populations.
Connor Creek
Susie Coyle fishing in Connor Creek
I am pursuing numerous experimental approaches to identify the molecular, cellular and genetic basis of female color perception and preference differences. In particular, I have focused on analyzing the sequence, expression and function of opsin proteins that are responsible for the initiation of the visual signal transduction cascade in cone photoreceptor cells. Furthermore, we have established crosses between stickleback populations with different nuptial colors to use QTL analysis and the existing genetic linkage map of G. aculeatus to identify loci that contribute to variation in male color and female preference for male color.

Publications

  • Audic, Y., Garbrecht, M., Fritz, B.R., Sheets, M.D. and Hartley, R.S. (2002). Zygotic control of maternal cyclin A1 translation and mRNA stability. Developmental Dynamics 225(4): 511-521.
  • Fritz, B.R. and Raczniak, G.A. (2002). Bacterial genomics: potential for antimicrobial drug discovery. Biodrugs 16(5): 331-337.
  • Fritz, B.R. and Sheets, M.D. (2001). Regulation of the mRNAs encoding proteins of the BMP signaling pathway during the maternal stages of Xenopus development. Developmental Biology 236(1): 230-243.

Page Last Updated: 9 June 2006
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