Lisa A. McGraw
Post-doctoral fellow
lmcgraw@emory.edu
Research Interests
In the broadest sense, I am interested in understanding the link between the genetic, neurobiological and evolutionary mechanisms that work together to generate natural variation in complex behaviors.
I performed my graduate work at Cornell University in the lab of Dr. Mariana Wolfner exploring the genetic basis of post-mating changes in female Drosophila melanogaster. In this species, males transfer over 100 seminal fluid proteins (Acps) in their ejaculates during mating that alter the behavior and physiology of the female. When females receive Acps from their mates, they become less likely to re-mate with another male, lay eggs at a faster rate, store sperm, eat more and have a reduced lifespan! Although many of the Acps have been well-characterized, the mechanisms of how they induce such dramatic changes in the female are poorly understood. In collaboration with Andy Clark (Cornell University) and Greg Gibson (University of Queensland), we used whole genome transcriptome profiling (DNA microarrays) to examine post-mating gene expression in females. We showed that transcript levels of over 1700 genes are altered by mating in females. Of these genes, some are uniquely regulated by sperm while others are uniquely regulated by Acps that females receive from their mates. These studies provide a starting point to begin to understand the genetic basis of how sperm, Acps and other components of mating affect the female's behavior and physiology.
As a post-doc in the Young lab, I am exploring how natural variation in genes and neural circuits affects social behaviors in prairie voles using siRNAs and selective breeding strategies. In collaboration with Larry and Jim Thomas, I am also spear-heading the Vole Genomics Initiative to develop prairie voles as a leading mammalian model for socio/behavioral genomics. I am currently supported by an NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Publications
McGraw, L.A., Gibson, G., Clark, A.G., Wolfner, M.F. (2009) Strain-dependent differences in several reproductive traits are not accompanied by early postmating transcriptome changes in female Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics. 181: 1273-1280McGraw, L.A., Clark, A.G., Wolfner, M.F. (2008) Post-mating gene expression profiles of female Drosophila melanogaster in response to time and to four male accessory gland proteins. Genetics. 179(3):1395-408.
McGraw, L.A., Fiumera, A.C., Ramakrishnan, M., Madhavarapu, S., Clark, A.G., Wolfner, M.F. (2007) Larval rearing environment affects several post-copulatory traits in Drosophila melanogaster. Biology Letters. 3: 607-610.
Feng, S., Wolfinger, R.D., Chu,T.M., Gibson, G, McGraw, L.A. (2006) Empirical bayes analysis of variance component models for microarray data. Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics. 11:2:197-209
Mueller, J.L., Ravi Ram, K., McGraw, L.A., Bloch Qazi, M.C., Siggia, E.D., Clark, A.G., Aquadro, C.F., Wolfner, M.F. (2005) Cross-species comparison of Drosophila male accessory gland protein genes. Genetics. 171:131-43.
McGraw, L.A., Gibson, G., Clark, A.G., Wolfner, M.F. (2004) Genes regulated by mating, sperm or seminal proteins in mated female Drosophila melanogaster. Current Biology. 14:1506-1514.
Westneat D.F., McGraw L.A., Fratterrigo J.M., Birkhead T.R., Fletcher F. (1998) Patterns of courtship behavior and ejaculate characteristics in male red-winged blackbirds. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 43:161-171.