Research Interests:

My research interests are focused in genetics and evolution of complex traits in fish and yeast. I study the genetic basis of resistance to viral infection by Cyprinids herpes virus-3 using various strains and crossbred lines of common carp and Koi fish. The goal is to identify genes that control disease resistant and use them to produce genetically resistant strains allowing sustainable production of food and ornamental carps. In addition, I study the inheritance and genetic basis of color traits in the Japanese ornamental carp (koi), some of which show a complex mode of inheritance. I also use the carp, a natural tetraploid species, to study evolution of complex traits after whole-genome duplication. 
Another arm of my research uses the model yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to uncover genic and allelic contributions to complex phenotypes as well as to understand the contribution of interactions between alleles and genes to phenotypic variation. I study the genetic basis of growth at high temperature, a trait that assists clinical yeast strains to infect human and animal hosts, as a model complex trait. I also use “evolution in the lab” methods to study how new regulation of genes evolves and contributes to formation of new phenotypes. This research helps to understand the contribution of regulatory variation to evolution of complex traits and enables characterization of the cellular mechanisms that support the dynamic process of evolution of new phenotypes and forms.

Research Projects:

• Development of genomic tools and resources for genetic research in common carp
• Development of carp strains genetically resistant to viral infection of CyHV-3
• Genetics of color patterns in the Japanese ornamental carp (koi)
• Genetic variation and biodiversity of fish species and populations
• Evolutionary aspects of genome duplication and its contribution to functional complexity
• The genetic basis of growth at high temperature in yeast
• Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms in evolution of new regulatory networks in yeast

Lior David