James N. Thompson, Jr.
David Ross Boyd Professor Zoology Richards Hall 208 & 316 405-325-2001 jthompson at OU dot edu http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/T/James.N.Thompson-1.Jr/ Ph.D., Genetics - University of Cambridge, 1973Research:
My research interests fall into two closely-related areas: the quantitative analysis of developmental variation and the effects of stresses on the mutation rate. Both are elements of the more general problem of multi-gene systems acting as a buffering mechanism for genetic and developmental stability. We bring these together in questions like the importance of variation in mutation rate, mutation in the process of aging and response to environmental stress, and the role of genotype × environment interactions in facilitating adaptation to novel environments and speciation. Drosophila melanogaster is our principal experimental organism. Many important aspects of development vary, and the study of that variation can provide insights into mechanisms of genetic regulation and developmental homeostasis.
Selected Publications:
Takemori, N., Komori, N., Thompson. J. N. jr, Yamamoto, M. T., & Matsumoto, H. (2007) Novel eye-specific calmodulin methylation characterized by protein mapping in Drosophila melanogaster. Proteomics, 7: 2651-2658.
Thompson, J. N., jr., Hellack, J. J., Braver, G., & Durica, D. S. (2007) Primer of Genetic Analysis: A Problems Approach, third edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Gong, Y., Thompson. J. N. jr, & Woodruff, R. C. (2006) Effect of deleterious mutations on life span in Drosophila melanogaster. J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., 61: 1246-1252.
Gong, Y., Woodruff, R. C., & Thompson, J. N., jr. (2005) Deleterious genomic mutation rate for viability in Drosophila melanogaster using concomitant sibling controls. Biol. Lett., 1: 492-495.
Williams, A. J. & Thompson, J. N., jr. (2005) Stress effects on spatial pattern of Drosophila wing sensilla in stress-sensitive and resistant genotypes. Dros. Inf. Serv., 88: 75- 79.
Woodruff, R. C. & Thompson, J. N., jr. (2005) The fundamental theorem of neutral evolution: rates of substitution and mutation should factor in premeiotic clusters. Genetica, 125: 333-339.
Thompson, J. N., jr. (2004) Book Review: Chemoecology of Insect Eggs and Egg Deposition. Quart. Rev. Biol., 79: 211-212.
Woodruff, R. C., Thompson, J. N., jr., & Gu, S. (2004) Premeiotic clusters of mutation and the cost of natural selection. J. Heredity, 95: 277-283.
Woodruff, R. C. & Thompson, J. N., jr. (2003) The role of somatic and germline mutations in aging and a mutation interaction model of aging. J. Anti-Aging Medicine, 6: 29-39.
Woodruff, R. C. & Thompson, J. N., jr. (2002) Mutation and premating isolation. Genetica, 116: 371-382.
Woodruff, R. C. & Thompson, J. N., jr. (2002) Transposons as natural and experimental mutagens. Encyclopedia of Life Sciences.