Andrew J. Roger

Wanda Danilchuk

Marlena Dlutek

Dayana Salas

Joran Martijn

Gregory Seaton

Dandan Zhao

Shelby Williams

Tengteng Zhang

Kelsey Williamson

Former Roger Lab Members


Dr. Courtney Stairs


I completed my undergraduate degree at Dalhousie University in 2009. I found my honours project so exciting that I decided to stay in the Roger Lab for my Ph.D.

Research Interests:


I'm interested in mitochondrion reduction and evolution in unicellular eukaryotes. Some anaerobic eukaryotic lineages possess atypical mitochondria called mitosomes and hydrogenosomes. These reduced organelles have alternative ATP generating machinery, novel metabolic pathways and/or no organellar genome. How these organelles arose is still a mystery. My research project focuses on understanding the mitosomes of Mastigamoeba balamuthi and hydrogenosomes of a biflagellate breviate by using both computational and biological methods. With various transcriptome-sequencing projects I have been able to map out the putative organellar metabolism of these organisms. The remainder of my degree will focus on testing these in silico in silico predictions with a variety of biological techniques.


Publications:


  • Stairs, C.W., Leger, M.M., and Roger, A.J. 2015. Diversity and origins of anaerobic metabolism in mitochondria and related organelles. Phil Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 370(1678)
  • Nývltová, E., Stairs, C.W., Hrdý, I., Rídl, J., Mach, J., Pačes, J., Roger, A.J. and Tachezy, J. (2015) Lateral gene transfer and gene duplication played a key role in the evolution of Mastigamoeba balamuthi hydrogenosomes. Mol. Biol. Evol. 32: 1039-55.
  • Stairs, C.W., Eme, L, Brown, M.W., Mutsaers, C, Susko, E. Dellaire, G., Soanes, D.M., van der Giezen, M. and Roger, A.J. (2014) A SUF Fe-S cluster biogenesis system in the mitochondrion-related organelles of the anaerobic protist Pygsuia . Curr. Biol. 24: 1176-1186.
  • Stairs, C.W., Roger, A.J and Hampl V. (2011) Eukaryotic pyruvate formate lyase and its activating enzyme were acquired laterally from a firmicute Molec. Biol. Evo. 28 (7), 2087.
  • Hampl, V., Stairs, C.W., and Roger, A.J. (2011) The tangled past of eukaryotic enzymes involved in anaerobic metabolism. Mob. Gen. Elements 1 (1): 71.

Book Chapter:

  • Tsaousis, A.D., Leger, M.M., Stairs, C.W. and Roger, A.J. 2012. The biochemical adaptations of mitochondrion-related organelles of parasitic and free-living microbial eukaryotes to low oxygen environments. Peer-reviewed chapter in A. V. Altenbach, J. M. Bernhard and J. Seckbach (Eds.), Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology Series Vol.21: Anoxia: Evidence for Eukaryote Survival and Paleontological Strategies. Springer, 1st edition (November 28, 2011). ISBN 978-94-007-1895-1. pp 51-87

Selected Posters and Presentations:


  • "Mitochondrion evolution in a novel breviate: insights from RNAseq" Stairs C.W, Brown, M. W, and Roger, A.J. Maritime Protistology Meeting, Halifax NS. Oral presentation. 2011.
  • "Distribution of pyruvate formate lyase and its activating enzyme in eukaryotes: its radical." Stairs C.W, Hampl, V., and Roger, A.J. International Society of Evolutionary Protistology conference, Kanazawa, Japan. Oral presentation. 2010.
  • "Unique subcellular localization of mitochondrial proteins in the mitochondrion-related organelles of Mastigamoeba balamuthi" Stairs C.W, Tsaousis, A.D., and Roger, A.J. Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Integrated Microbial Diversity program. Monterey, California. Poster presentation. 2009.

    You can reach Courtney at:
    Work Phone: (+1) 902-494-2881
    Fax: (+1) 902-494-1355
    E-mail: courtney{dot}stairs{at}dal{dot}ca