Mutation Biology and Rate Variation

Mutations are the ultimate source of all genetic variation, yet mutation rates vary orders of magnitude across the genome, among cell types, and across species. We use emerging ultra-accurate sequencing technologies (including Duplex Sequencing) to characterize mutation rates and spectra at unprecedented resolution.

Current projects:

• Epigenome-recruited DNA repair and mutation rate reduction in plants
• Somatic mutation dynamics in clonal plants (walnut)
• Mutation bias and natural selection in Arabidopsis
• Mechanisms of mutation rate variation across the plant kingdom

Notable papers:

• Monroe et al. (2025) — Delineating mutation bias and selection during plant development · bioRxiv
• Davis et al. (2025) — Extreme somatic mutation variation through time and space in walnut clones · bioRxiv
• Long et al. (2026) — Protein structure and selection pressure in plants · BMC Genomics