• Newly sequenced genome reveals coffee’s prehistoric origin story — and its future under climate change
• Genomic study sheds light on carnivorous Asian pitcher plants
• The Amborella Genome Project
• Victor Albert analyzes “reference genome” to trace evolutionary traits of Litchi chinensis
• Scientists just sequenced the avocado genome. Here's why that's good news for guac lovers

• AB and ScM, Biology, Brown University
• PhD, Biology, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
• Postdoctoral research, Uppsala University, Sweden

• By appointment

Victor Albert’s research employs genomic, developmental, and genetic approaches to understanding problems in plant evolutionary biology. Areas of current and recent interest include:

- Genome sequencing and biodiversity "omics" analysis of tropical Southeast Asian flora, including the clove genus (Syzygium: Myrtaceae), tembusu tree (Cyrtophyllum: Gentianaceae), giant corpse lily (Amorphophallus titanum; Araceae), and Nepenthes pitcher plant (Nepenthaceae).

- The genetic basis for convergent evolution and “adaptive” radiations of plant forms, for example in distantly related carnivorous plant lineages; this has included complete genome sequencing of the humped bladderwort, Utricularia gibba, butterwort species (Pinguicula), and other carnivorous plant species (e.g., Drosera - the sundews).

- The role of mechanistic co-option in the evolution of carnivorous plant physiology, for example, by repurposing of pathogenesis-related gene functions.

- Population genomic approaches to the study of interspecies admixture, local environmental adaptation, and the evolution of agriculturally important traits.

- Genomics of the coffee plant; seeking evidence for factors underlying the massive diversification of its parent lineage in fruit types and secondary compound chemistries, and working toward better knowledge of traits important for developing agricultural systems.

- Sequencing and characterization of the avocado and Amborella genomes, Amborella being the single sister species to all other flowering plants, and avocado lying near the base of angiosperm phylogeny; use these and other genomes in an attempt to uncover developmental regulatory mechanisms common to the “ancestral angiosperm”.

- Reconstruction of whole-genome duplication history as it relates to the diversification of flowering plants, also the ancestral gene order for all angiosperms.

- Evo-devo research on the evolution of reproductive development in flowering plants; topics include B-function MADS box genes and CYCLOIDEA-like genes; the former help specify petal identity, whereas the latter participate in the control of organ symmetry.

• Tomlin CM, Rajaraman S, Sebesta JT, Scheen A-C, Bendiksby M, Low YW, Salojärvi J, Michael TP, Albert VA, Lindqvist C (2024) Allopolyploid origin and diversification of the Hawaiian endemic mints. Nature Communications 15 (1):3109. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-47247-y
• Salojärvi J, Rambani A, Yu Z, Guyot R, Strickler S, Lepelley M, Wang C, Rajaraman S, Rastas P, Zheng C, Muñoz DS, Meidanis J, Paschoal AR, Bawin Y, Krabbenhoft TJ, Wang ZQ, Fleck SJ, Aussel R, Bellanger L, Charpagne A, Fournier C, Kassam M, Lefebvre G, Métairon S, Moine D, Rigoreau M, Stolte J, Hamon P, Couturon E, Tranchant-Dubreuil C, Mukherjee M, Lan T, Engelhardt J, Stadler P, Correia De Lemos SM, Suzuki SI, Sumirat U, Wai CM, Dauchot N, Orozco-Arias S, Garavito A, Kiwuka C, Musoli P, Nalukenge A, Guichoux E, Reinout H, Smit M, Carretero-Paulet L, Filho OG, Braghini MT, Padilha L, Sera GH, Ruttink T, Henry R, Marraccini P, Van de Peer Y, Andrade A, Domingues D, Giuliano G, Mueller L, Pereira LF, Plaisance S, Poncet V, Rombauts S, Sankoff D, Albert VA, Crouzillat D, de Kochko A, Descombes P (2024) The genome and population genomics of allopolyploid Coffea arabica reveal the diversification history of modern coffee cultivars. Nature Genetics 56 (4):721-731. doi:10.1038/s41588-024-01695-w
  
• Fleck SJ, Tomlin C, da Silva Coelho FA, Richter M, Danielson ES, Backenstose N, Krabbenhoft T, Lindqvist C, Albert VA. High quality genomes produced from single MinION flow cells clarify polyploid and demographic histories of critically endangered Fraxinus (ash) species. Communications Biology 2024 Jan 6;7(1):54. doi: 10.1038/s42003-023-05748-4.
  
• Saul F, Scharmann M, Wakatake T, Rajaraman S, Marques A, Freund M, Bringmann G, Channon L, Becker D, Carroll E, Low YW, Lindqvist C, Gilbert KJ, Renner T, Masuda M, Richter M, Vogg G, Shirasu K, Michael TP, Hedrich R, Albert VA, Fukushima K. Subgenome dominance shapes novel gene evolution in the decaploid pitcher plant Nepenthes gracilis. Nature Plants. 2023 Nov 23:1-6.
  
• Low YW, Rajaraman S, Tomlin CM, Ahmad JA, Ardi WH, Armstrong K, Athen P, Berhaman A, Bone RE, Cheek M, Cho NRW, Choo LM, Cowie ID, Crayn D, Fleck SJ, Ford AJ, Forster PI, Girmansyah D, Goyder DJ, Gray B, Heatubun CD, Ibrahim A, Ibrahim B, Jayasinghe HD, Kalat MA, Kathriarachchi HS, Kintamani E, Koh SL, Lai JTK, Lee SML, Leong PKF, Lim WH, Lum SKY, Mahyuni R, McDonald WJF, Metali F, Mustaqim WA, Naiki A, Ngo KM, Niissalo M, Ranasinghe S, Repin R, Rustiami H, Simbiak VI, Sukri RS, Sunarti S, Trethowan LA, Trias-Blasi A, Vasconcelos TNC, Wanma JF, Widodo P, Wijesundara DSA, Worboys S, Yap JW, Yong KT, Khew GSW, Salojärvi J, Michael TP, Middleton DJ, Burslem DFRP, Lindqvist C, Lucas EJ, Albert VA. Genomic insights into rapid speciation within the world’s largest tree genus Syzygium. Nature Communications. 2022 Sep 12, 13(1):5031. 
• Freund M, Graus D, Fleischmann A, Gilbert KJ, Lin Q, Renner T, Stigloher C, Albert V, Hedrich R, Fukushima K. The digestive systems of carnivorous plants. Plant Physiology. 2022 May 23 kiac232. doi:10.1093/plphys/kiac232.
• Chanderbali AS, Jin L, Xu Q, Zhang Y, Zhang J, Jian S, Carroll E, Sankoff D, Albert VA, Howarth DG, Soltis DE, Soltis, PS. Buxus and Tetracentron genomes help resolve eudicot genome history. Nature Communications 2022 13(1), 643.
  
• Hu G, Feng J, Xiang X, Wang J, Salojärvi J, Liu C, Wu Z, Zhang J, Liang X, Jiang Z, Liu W, Ou L, Li J, Fan G, Mai Y, Chen C, Zhang X, Zheng J, Zhang Y, Peng H, Yao L, Wai CM, Luo X, Fu J, Tang H, Lan T, Lai B, Sun J, Wei Y, Li H, Chen J, Huang X, Yan Q, Liu X, McHale LK, Rolling W, Guyot R, Sankoff D, Zheng C, Albert VA, Ming R, Chen H, Xia R, Li J. Two divergent haplotypes from a highly heterozygous lychee genome suggest independent domestication events for early and late-maturing cultivars. Nat Genet. 2022 Jan 3.
  doi: 10.1038/s41588-021-00971-3.

• Cervantes-Pérez SA, Yong-Villalobos L, Florez-Zapata N, Oropeza-Aburto A, Rico-Reséndiz F, Amasende-Morales I, Lan T, Martínez O, Vielle-Calzada JP, Albert VA, Herrera-Estrella L. Atypical DNA methylation, sRNA-size distribution, and female gametogenesis in Utricularia gibba. Scientific Reports 11, 15725 (2021). doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-95054-y
• Zhao Y, Broholm SK, Wang F, Rijpkema AS, Lan T, Albert VA, Teeri TH, Elomaa P. TCP and MADS-Box Transcription Factor Networks Regulate Heteromorphic Flower Type Identity in Gerbera hybrida. Plant Physiol. 2020 Nov;184(3):1455-1468. doi: 10.1104/pp.20.00702.
• Xu Z, Pu X, Gao R, Demurtas OC, Fleck SJ, Richter M, He C, Ji A, Sun W, Kong J, Hu K, Ren F, Song J, Wang Z, Gao T, Xiong C, Yu H, Xin T, Albert VA, Giuliano G, Chen S, Song J. Tandem gene duplications drive divergent evolution of caffeine and crocin biosynthetic pathways in plants. BMC Biol. 2020 Jun 18;18(1):63.
  doi: 10.1186/s12915-020-00795-3. 
• Oropeza-Aburto A, Cervantes-Pérez SA, Albert VA, Herrera-Estrella L. Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation of the aquatic carnivorous plant Utricularia gibba. Plant Methods. 2020 Apr 10;16:50. doi: 10.1186/s13007-020-00592-7.
• Albert VA, Renner T. Aquatic angiosperm ambiguities answered. Nat Plants. 2020 Mar;6(3):181-183. doi: 10.1038/s41477-020-0607-5.
• Zhang T, Zhao Y, Juntheikki I, Mouhu K, Broholm SK, Rijpkema AS, Kins L, Lan T, Albert VA, Teeri TH, Elomaa P. Dissecting functions of SEPALLATA-like MADS box genes in patterning of the pseudanthial inflorescence of Gerbera hybrida. New Phytol. 2017 Nov;216(3):939-954. doi: 10.1111/nph.14707.
• Denoeud F, Carretero-Paulet L, Dereeper A, Droc G, Guyot R, Pietrella M, Zheng C, Alberti A, Anthony F, Aprea G, Aury JM, Bento P, Bernard M, Bocs S, Campa C, Cenci A, Combes MC, Crouzillat D, Da Silva C, Daddiego L, De Bellis F, Dussert S, Garsmeur O, Gayraud T, Guignon V, Jahn K, Jamilloux V, Joët T, Labadie K, Lan T, Leclercq J, Lepelley M, Leroy T, Li LT, Librado P, Lopez L, Muñoz A, Noel B, Pallavicini A, Perrotta G, Poncet V, Pot D, Priyono, Rigoreau M, Rouard M, Rozas J, Tranchant-Dubreuil C, VanBuren R, Zhang Q, Andrade AC, Argout X, Bertrand B, de Kochko A, Graziosi G, Henry RJ, Jayarama, Ming R, Nagai C, Rounsley S, Sankoff D, Giuliano G, Albert VA, Wincker P, Lashermes P. The coffee genome provides insight into the convergent evolution of caffeine biosynthesis. Science. 2014 Sep 5;345(6201):1181-4. doi: 10.1126/science.1255274. 
• Amborella Genome Project. The Amborella genome and the evolution of flowering plants. Science. 2013 Dec 20;342(6165):1241089. doi: 10.1126/science.1241089. 
• Ibarra-Laclette E, Lyons E, Hernández-Guzmán G, Pérez-Torres CA, Carretero-Paulet L, Chang TH, Lan T, Welch AJ, Juárez MJ, Simpson J, Fernández-Cortés A, Arteaga-Vázquez M, Góngora-Castillo E, Acevedo-Hernández G, Schuster SC, Himmelbauer H, Minoche AE, Xu S, Lynch M, Oropeza-Aburto A, Cervantes-Pérez SA, de Jesús Ortega-Estrada M, Cervantes-Luevano JI, Michael TP, Mockler T, Bryant D, Herrera-Estrella A, Albert VA, Herrera-Estrella L. Architecture and evolution of a minute plant genome. Nature. 2013 Jun 6;498(7452):94-8. doi: 10.1038/nature12132.
• Rendón-Anaya M, Ibarra-Laclette E, Méndez-Bravo A, Lan T, Zheng C,Carretero-Paulet L, Perez-Torres CA, Chacón-López A, Hernandez-Guzmán G, ChangTH, Farr KM, Barbazuk WB, Chamala S, Mutwil M, Shivhare D, Alvarez-Ponce D,Mitter N, Hayward A, Fletcher S, Rozas J, Sánchez Gracia A, Kuhn D, Barrientos-Priego AF, Salojärvi J, Librado P, Sankoff D, Herrera-Estrella A, Albert VA, Herrera-Estrella L.  The avocado genome informs deep angiospermphylogeny, highlights introgressive hybridization, and revealspathogen-influenced gene space adaptation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Aug 20; 116(34):17081-17089.
  
• Salojärvi J, Smolander OP, Nieminen K, Rajaraman S, Safronov O, Safdari P, Lamminmäki A, Immanen J, Lan T, Tanskanen J, Rastas P, Amiryousefi A, Jayaprakash B, Kammonen JI, Hagqvist R, Eswaran G, Ahonen VH, Serra JA, Asiegbu FO, de Dios Barajas-Lopez J, Blande D, Blokhina O, Blomster T, Broholm S, Brosché M, Cui F, Dardick C, Ehonen SE, Elomaa P, Escamez S, Fagerstedt KV, Fujii H, Gauthier A, Gollan PJ, Halimaa P, Heino PI, Himanen K, Hollender C, Kangasjärvi S, Kauppinen L, Kelleher CT, Kontunen-Soppela S, Koskinen JP, Kovalchuk A, Kärenlampi SO, Kärkönen AK, Lim KJ, Leppälä J, Macpherson L, Mikola J, Mouhu K, Mähönen AP, Niinemets Ü, Oksanen E, Overmyer K, Palva ET, Pazouki L, Pennanen V, Puhakainen T, Poczai P, Possen BJHM, Punkkinen M, Rahikainen MM, Rousi M, Ruonala R, van der Schoot C, Shapiguzov A, Sierla M, Sipilä TP, Sutela S, Teeri TH, Tervahauta AI, Vaattovaara A, Vahala J, Vetchinnikova L, Welling A, Wrzaczek M, Xu E, Paulin LG, Schulman AH, Lascoux M, Albert VA, Auvinen P, Helariutta Y, Kangasjärvi J. Genome sequencing and population genomic analyses provide insights into the adaptive landscape of silver birch. Nat Genet. 2017 May 8.
• Lan T, Renner T, Ibarra-Laclette E, Farr KM, Chang TH, Cervantes-Pérez SA, Zheng C, Sankoff D, Tang H, Purbojati RW, Putra A, Drautz-Moses DI, Schuster SC, Herrera-Estrella L, Albert VA. Long-read sequencing uncovers the adaptive topography of a carnivorous plant genome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 May 15. pii: 201702072.
• Fukushima K, Fang X, Alvarez-Ponce D, Cai H, Carretero-Paulet L, Chen C, Chang T-H, Farr KM, Fujita T, Hiwatashi Y, Hoshi Y, Imai T, Kasahara M, Librado P, Mao L, Mori H, Nishiyama T, Nozawa M, Pálfalvi G, Pollard ST, Rozas J, Sánchez-Gracia A, Sankoff D, Shibata TF, Shigenobu S, Sumikawa N, Uzawa T, Xie M, Zheng C, Pollock DD, Albert VA, Li S, Hasebe M. Genome of the pitcher plant Cephalotus reveals genetic changes associated with carnivory. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 2017 Feb 6;1:0059.
• Juntheikki-Palovaara I, Tähtiharju S, Lan T, Broholm SK, Rijpkema AS, Ruonala R, Kale L, Albert VA, Teeri TH, Elomaa P. Functional diversification of duplicated CYC2 clade genes in regulation of inflorescence development in Gerbera hybrida (Asteraceae). Plant Journal. 2014 Sep;79(5):783-96.