DSSS - Programmed genome elimination in the ciliate Paramecium, a definitive form of transposon silencing

Our team studies the remarkable process of small-RNA-guided DNA elimination that occurs during development in the unicellular eukaryote Paramecium, in which at least a third of the genome is reproducibly removed. Our efforts aim to understand the mechanisms that control these events, and the evolutionary trajectories of the eliminated sequences. Our approach combines molecular and cellular genetics, biochemistry and large-scale genomic strategies.