Naim M. Bautista
Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences Richards Hall 300A & 317 naimmbautista at ou dot edu https://www.bautistalab.com/ Ph.D., Biology (Comparative Physiology) - University of North Texas, 2019RESEARCH:
In the Bautista Lab we are focused on dissecting the physiology that accounts for the capacity of vertebrates to face, cope, and acclimate to challenging conditions. We are interested in elucidating the relative contribution of the genetic and non-genetic factors that underlie these processes and their implications for adaptation. We take an integrative, hands-on approach, using tools that range from molecular techniques to whole-organism measurements so we can connect what happens in tissues and organ systems with how animals function as a whole. We are genuinely interested in understanding mechanisms of inheritance; our work goes beyond single-generation studies and includes cross- and transgenerational experiments that let us test how adaptive and maladaptive traits are conserved across generations.
Selected Publications:
Liphardt, S., Bautista, M. N., Quiroga-Carmona, M., Herrera, N. D., Blumer, L. M., Opazo, J. C., Hoffmann, F. G., Saleem, R., Somo, D., Del Basto Llancaqueo, F., Thurman, T. J., Wheeler, T. B., Shaw, D. E., Walt, H. K., Harter, T. S., McClelland, G. B., Scott, G. R., Sabat, P., Cheviron, Z. A., D'Elia, G., Good, J. M., and Storz, J. F. (2026) Adaptation across an extreme elevational gradient in the world’s highest-dwelling mammal. Science (in press).
Bautista, M. N., Herrera, N. D. , Quiroga-Carmona, M., Rico-Cernohorska, A., Salazar Bravo, J., Scott, R. G., Cheviron, Z. A., D'Elia, G., and Storz, J. F. (2026) Elevational variation in heart mass and suppression of hypoxia-induced right ventricle hypertrophy in Andean leaf-eared mice (Phyllotis). Journal of Physiology.
Bautista, M. N., Herrera, N., Shadowitz, E., Wearing, H. O., Chevron, Z., Scott, G., and Storz, J.F. (2024) Local adaptation, plasticity, and evolved resistance to hypoxic cold stress in high-altitude deer mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121: e2412526121.
Takahashi, K., Lee, Y., Fago, A., Bautista, N. M., Storz, J. F., Crossley, D., Kawamoto, A., Kurisu, G., Nishizawa, T., and Tame, J. R.H. (2024) The unique allosteric properties of crocodilian haemoglobins revealed by cryo-electron microscopy. Nature Communications 15: 6505.
Natarajan, C., Signore, A. V., Bautista, N. M., Hoffmann, F. G., Tame, J. R., Fago, A., and Storz, J. F. (2023) Evolution and molecular basis of a novel allosteric property of crocodilian hemoglobin. Current Biology 33: 98–108.e4.
Bautista, M. N., Petersen, E. E., Jensen, R. J., Chandrasekar, N., Storz, J. F., Crossley, D. A. II, and Fago, A. (2021) Changes in hemoglobin function and isoform expression during embryonic development in the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis. American Journal of Physiology 321: R869-R878.
Bautista, M. N., Malte, H., Wang, T., Storz, J.F., and Fago, A. (2021) New insights into the allosteric effects of CO2 and bicarbonate on crocodilian hemoglobin. Journal of Experimental Biology 224: jeb242615.
Bautista, M. N. and Burggren, W. W. (2019) Parental Stressor Exposure Simultaneously Conveys Both Adaptive and Maladaptive Larval Phenotypes Through Epigenetic Inheritance in the Zebrafish (Danio rerio). Journal of Experimental Biology 222: jeb208918.