In the Light of Evolution IX. Clonal Reproduction: Alternatives to Sex
Organized by Michel Tibayrenc, John C. Avise and Francisco J. Ayala, this meeting was co-sponsored by the University of California, Irvine and held January 9-10, 2015 at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, CA.
Overview:
Evolutionary studies of clonal organisms have advanced considerably in recent years, but are still fledgling. Although recent textbooks on evolution or genetics might give the impression that nonsexual reproduction is an anomaly in the living world, clonality is the rule rather than the exception in many viruses, bacteria, and parasites that undergo preponderant asexual evolution in nature. Asexual reproduction is also common in insects, pathogenic helminthes, crustacea, and plants, and is found even in vertebrates. Clonality is thus of crucial importance in basic biology as well as in studies dealing with transmissible diseases.
The focus should actually be on the balance between sexuality and clonality, since many so called clonal organisms benefit from both evolutionary modes. The study of clonal reproduction raises many theoretical, experimental, and technological challenges that could yield considerable pay-offs in microbiology and parasitology (e.g. in human medicine, veterinary medicine, and agronomy), artificial cloning, and the study of cancer. This ILE Colloquium will make it possible to bring together specialists in various disciplines, including genetics, evolution, statistics, bioinformatics, and medicine. A balance will be sought between the various disciplines, including clonal animals and plants, animal and human cloning, pathogens, and cancer studies.
Agenda
Friday, January 9
I. General Considerations
Overview: The ILE Series. John C. Avise
Introduction and Chair, John C. Avise
Can eukaryotes be considered clonally propagating cell lines with intermittent sex?, Dave Speijer, University of Amsterdam
Cancer in Parasitic Protozoan Trypanosoma brucei and Toxoplasma gondii, Zhao-Rong Lun, Sun Yat-Sen University
Mathematical Models of Clonality, Dominik Wodarz, University of California, Irvine
The Cost of Sex: Why Aren’t We All Clonal?, Claus-Peter Stelzer, University of Innsbruck
II. Clonality in Multicellular Organisms
Chair, Zhao-Rong Lun
Influences of Clonal Growth on Plant Sex , Spencer C.H. Barrett, University of Toronto
Clonality in Asexual Invertebrate Animals, John M. Logsdon, Jr., University of Iowa
Natural Clonality in Vertebrate Animals, John C. Avise, University of California, Irvine
Artificial Cloning of Domestic Animals, Carol L. Keefer, University of Maryland
Keynote Address
Introduction, Michel Tibayrenc
Cloning Humans: Biological and Ethical Considerations, Francisco J. Ayala, University of California, Irvine
Saturday, January 10
III. Clonality in the Microbial World
Carol L. Keefer
Clonality and Intracellular Polyploidy in Virus Evolution and Pathogenesis, Esteban Domingo, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
The Impermanence of Bacterial Clones, Howard Ochman, University of Texas, Austin
Clonal Reproduction in Fungi, John Taylor, University of California, Berkeley
Clonal Reproduction in Parasitic Protozoa, Michel Tibayrenc, IRD, Montpellier, France
IV. Clonality, Cancer, and Evolution
Chair, Esteban Domingo
Organismal Fitness, Somatic Evolution, and Cancer, James DeGregori, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Pathogens and Cancer: Clonal Processes and Evolution, Edwin L. Cooper, University of California, Los Angeles
Stem Cell Competitions: Evolution, and Cancer Progression, Irving Weissman, Stanford University
Clonal Reproduction: An Evolutionary Curse or Blessing?, Marcel E. Dorken, Trent University
Concluding Remarks, Francisco J. Ayala, University of California, Irvine
