Research Interests:
PhD Research
I have used compartive genomics of vomeronasal-specific genes to understand aspects of the system's evolution that could not be understood by studying only the morphological components.
1) I have determined how species-specificity evolves in this system by comparing the V1R vomeronasal repertoires in mouse and rat. (Grus and Zhang 2004)
2) I have investigated how the receptor repertoire variation might be a reflection of morphological variation in mammals. However, it is unknown what is the cause of the variation. (Grus et al. 2005;Grus et al. 2007)
3) I have investigated when this system arose in vertebrate evolution by looking for the vomeronasal-specific genes in the sea lamprey, representing the earliest diverging lineage of vertebrates. (Review of VNS genes in bony vertebrates, Grus and Zhang 2006)
4) I am interested in using comparative genomics of vomeronasal system receptors and main olfactory system receptors to try to understand the functional distinctions between the two systems (Grus and Zhang 2008).
Further Research Interests
Genome Evolution: I use comparative genomic methods to understand the evolution of physiological characteristics. I am particularly interested in gene family evolution and the pressures leading to and consequences of gene loss. I am always interested in learning new genomic technologies and analyses to answer evolutionary questions.
Applied Evolution: I am interested in applying evolutionary concepts to socially relevant scientific areas, such as studying the genome evolution of human parasites, like Plasmodium.
Functional Evolution of Sensory Systems: I am interested in using functional assays to understand the evolution of vertebrate olfactory systems and to understand the subfamily organization and distribution of the receptors in different taxa.