Claire Cheng
NIH T32 CoEvoD Fellow, Behringer Lab
Claire joined the CoEvoD program as a second-year trainee supported by the NIH / NIGMS T32 Training Grant in 2026.
Bacterial DNA methylation presents a novel and unique opportunity to explore evolutionary dynamics under varying intensities of feast-famine dynamics. Despite DNA methylation being a genomic feature present across all branches of the tree of life, it is often overlooked inside prokaryotes. The current understanding of the bacterial mechanism primarily focuses on its roles in DNA replication and maintaining genome integrity. Methylation can act as a regulatory mechanism, linking environmental stress to transcriptional activity. Understanding how methylation influences the expression of stress responses and contingency genes in bacterial models can uncover novel evolutionary mechanisms underlying adaptation to antimicrobials and resistance. Thus, Claire aims to explore how evolution under varying intensities and durations of feast-famine cycles influence the Escherichia coli methylome.
Publications
Xu, H., Sun, Y., Francis, M., Cheng, C.F., Modulla, N.T., Brenna, J.T., Chiang, C.W. and Ye, K., 2025. Widespread but moderate genetic overlap between circulating polyunsaturated fatty acids and brain disorders. Journal of Lipid Research, 66:(10).