Dr. Joel Shore

Biography

Joel Shore is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biology at York University. His research focuses on molecular genetics, the evolution of plant breeding systems, and plant population genetics. He has conducted extensive studies on the interactions between plants and butterflies, particularly in the Neotropical clade Passifloraceae, formerly known as Turneraceae. His work on the genus Turnera includes research on species that display distyly and are strongly self-incompatible, as well as self-compatible species where anthers and stigmas are in close proximity, leading to high rates of self-fertilization. He is engaged in the molecular genetic dissection of the distyly (S) locus in Turnera species, having constructed high-resolution genetic maps and sequenced sets of BAC clones for recessive and dominant haplotypes. Additionally, he has sequenced transcriptomes of styles and stamens to uncover differentially expressed genes related to distyly and has developed a genetic transformation system for Turnera to test the functionality of candidate genes. Currently, he is sequencing the genome of Turnera species and has discovered several candidate genes that are undergoing functional testing.

Research Interests