Ph. D., Utah State University

   

Office:     429C Life Sciences Building

Phone:   1-419-372-0376

Email: rwoodru@bgsu.edu

   

Research:

Evolutionary genetics, Role of mutation in evolution and aging, Transposable DNA elements, and Molecular evolution. Drosophila as model organism.

   

Curriculum Vitae (9/5/2008)

   

 

Research Interests:

 We are involved in two main areas of genetic research with eukaryotic organisms: The role of mutation in evolution and the genetics of transposable DNA elements of Drosophila. In particular, we are interested in the role of premeiotic clusters of mutation in evolution, using experimental and theoretical techniques.

For abstracts of articles, go to: http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/biology/people/faculty/

Selected Publications:

Abstracts for the following articles can be found by going to PubMed on the NCBI website. Type in Woodruff R C to get all the abstracts.

Woodruff, R.C. and Mingcai Zhang. 2008. Adaptation from leaps in the dark. Journal of Heredity. doi:10.1093/jhered/esn05;99:1-4.

Azad, P. and R.C. Woodruff. 2007. Tolerance of Drosophila melanogaster to increased salt concentration due to new bebeficial mutations. Drosophila Information Service. 90: 14-20.

Ogura, K, R.C. Woodruff, M. Itoh and I.A. Boussy. 2007. Long-term patterns of genomic P element content and P-M characteristics of D. melanogaster in eastern Australia. Genes & Genetic Systems. 82: 479-487.

Morgan, Elizabeth and R.C. Woodruff. 2006. A significant increase in the rate of new deleterious mutations following interspecific crowding of Drosophila melanogaster by Drosophila simulans. Drosophila Information Service. 89: 97-101.

Azad, P. and R. C. Woodruff. 2006. Mutation and cloning efficiency. Cloning and Stem Cells 8: 237-239.

Gong, Yi, J. N. Thompson, Jr. and R. C. Woodruff. 2006. Effect of deleterious mutations on lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster. Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences 61A: 1246-1252.Abstract

Gong, Yi, Sheng Gu and R. C. Woodruff. 2005. The influence of premeiotic clusters of mutation on indirect estimations of mutation rate. Human Heredity 60:150-155. Abstract

Woodruff, R.C. and J.N. Thompson, Jr. 2005. The fundamental theorem of neutral evolution: Rates of substitution and mutation should factor in premeiotic clusters. Genetica 125:333-339. Abstract

Gong, Yi, J.N. Thompson, Jr. and R.C. Woodruff. 2005. Deleterious genomic mutation rate for viability in Drosophila melanogaster using concomitant sibling controls. Biology Letters 1:492-595

Woodruff, R.C., J.N. Thompson, Jr. and S. Gu. 2004. Premeiotic clusters of mutation and the cost of natural selection.  Journal of Heredity 95:277-283.  Abstract

Woodruff, R.C., J.P. Phillips and A.J. Hilliker. 2004. Increased spontaneous DNA damage in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) deficient Drosophila.  Genome 47:1029-1035. Abstract

Symphorien S.and R.C.Woodruff. 2003. Effect of DNA repair on aging of trangenic Drosophila melanogater:mei-41 Locus. J. of Gerontology: Biological Sciences 58A:782-787. Abstract

Woodruff, R.C. and J.N. Thompson, Jr. 2003. The role of somatic and germline mutations in aging and a mutation interaction model of aging. Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine 6:29-39 Abstract

Woodruff, R.C. and J.N. Thompson, jr. 2002. Mutation and premating isolation. Genetica 116:371-382. Abstract

Haller, B.S. and R.C. Woodruff. 2000. Varied expression of a Y-linked P[w + ] insert due to chromosomal imprinting in Drosophila melanogaster. Genome 43:285-292. Abstract

Itoh, M., R.C. Woodruff, M.A. Leone and I.A. Boussy. 1999. Genomic P elements and P-M characteristics of eastern Australian populations of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetica 106: 231-245. Abstract

Woodruff, R.C., and J.N. Thompson, jr. J.S.F. Barker and H. Huai. 1999. Transposable DNA elements in somatic cells reduces fitness, mating activity, and locomotion of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetica 107: 261-269. Abstract

Russell, A.L. and R.C. Woodruff. 1999. The genetics and evolution of the mariner, transposable element in Drosophila simulans: worldwide distribution and experimental population dynamics. Genetica 105:149-164.

Thompson, J.N., Jr., R.C. Woodruff and H. Huai. 1998. Mutation rate: A simple concept has become complex. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis 32:292-300.

Boussy, I.A., M. Itoh, D. Rand and R.C. Woodruff. 1998. Origin and decay of the P element-associated latitudinal cline in Australian Drosophila melanogaster. Genetica 140:45-57.

Thompson, J.N., Jr. and R.C. Woodruff. 1999. Mutation and Mutagenesis: Overview. In: Encyclopedia of Genetics: Basics and Applications. Ed. J. Knight. Salem Press, Pasadena CA. 418-425.

Woodruff, R.C. and J.N. Thompson, Jr., Eds. 1998. Mutation and Evolution. In: Contemporary Issues in Genetics and Evolution. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecth, The Netherlands.

Arking, R. and R.C. Woodruff. 1998. Using Drosophila in experimental aging research. In Methods in Aging Research, Ed. B.P. Yu, CRC Press. pp 145-165.

Huai, H. and R.C. Woodruff. 1998. Clusters of new identical mutants and the fate of underdominant mutations. Genetica 102/103:489-505.

Huai, H. and R.C. Woodruff. 1998. With the correct concept of mutation rate, cluster mutations can explain the overdispersed molecular clock. Genetics 149:467-469

Huai, H. and R.C. Wooddruff. 1997. Clusters of identical new mutations can account for the "overdispersed" molecular clock. Genetics 147:339-348.

Woodruff, R.C., H. Huai and J.N. Thompson, Jr. 1996. Clusters of new mutations in the evolutionary landscape. Genetica 98:149-160.

Merker, R.J. and R.C. Woodruff. 1996. Molecular evidence for discrete breeding stocks of walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) in western Lake Erie. J. Great Lakes Research 22(2):280-288.

Woodruff, R.C. and A.G. Nikitin. 1995. P DNA element movement in somatic cells reduces lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster. Evidence in support of the somatic mutation theory of aging. Mutation Research 338:35-42.

Nikitin, A.G. and R.C. Woodruff. 1995. Somatic movement of the mariner transposable element and lifespan of Drosophila species. Mutation Research 338:43-49.

Szekely, A.A., R.C. Woodruff and R. Mahendran. 1994. P element-mediated germ line transformation of Drosophila melanogaster with TC1 transposable DNA element from Caenorhabditis elegans. Genome 37:356-366.

Teaching Articles:

Woodruff, R. C. and J. N. Thompson, jr. 1997. A teaching exercise combining Mendelian genetics and gene therapy concepts in Drosophila. Drosophila Information Service 80: 107-108.

Woodruff, R. C. and J. N. Thompson, jr. 1999. A one-generation assay of induced genetic damage. Drosophila Information Service, 82: 140-141.

Thompson, J. N., jr., R. C. Woodruff, S. B. Gray, G. S. Hendrix and J. J. Hellack. 2000. Cellulose acetate measurement of Adh allele frequencies is a simple exercise in population genetics. Drosophila Information Service 83: 203-205.

Woodruff, R. C. and J. N. Thompson, jr. 2001. A one-generation, white-peach assay for mariner DNA element activity in Drosophila simulans. Drosophila Information Service, 84: 213-215.

Gu, Sheng, Yi Gong, Matthew Smith and R. C. Woodruff. 2002. The dominance value of the Sb allele in Drosophila melanogaster. Drosophila Information Service, 85: 143-149.

Woodruff, R. C. and James N. Thompson, jr. 2002. Use of the Drosophila melanogaster zeste screen to identify aneuploidy induced by cold treatment. Drosophila Information Service, 85: 149-151.

Azad, P., R. C. Woodruff and J. N. Thompson, jr. 2004. Deleterious mutations in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster. Drosophila Information Service, 86: 165-168.

Morgan, E., R. C. Woodruff and J. N. Thompson, jr. 2004. The interchromsomal effect on recombination in Drosophila melanogaster. Drosophila Information Service, 87: 115-117.

Woodruff, R. C. and J. N. Thompson, jr. 2005. Response to selection in the presence and absence of genetic variation in Drosophila melanogaster. Drosophila Information Service. 88: 139-143.

Zhang, Mingcai and R. C. Woodruff. 2006. Confirmation of the Bateman’s principle: a sexual selection exercise. Drosophila Information Service. 89: 143-148.

Thompson, J. N., jr. Clayton N. Hallerman, Jenna J. Hellack and R. C. Woodruff. 2006. Measuring natural selection using alcohol dehydrogenase alleles. Drosophila Information Service. 89: 148-149.

Toth, Cynthia L, Jessica L. Heintzelman and R. C. Woodruff. 2007. Ultraviolet (UV) light induced mutations in Drosophila melanogaster. Drosophila Information Service. 90: 169-171.

Robinson, Bethany, Natalie Wiseman and R. C. Woodruff. 2007. Identification of selfish genetic elements in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster. I.P DNA elements. Drosophila Information Service. 90: 172-176.

Onasch, Katherine D. and R. C. Woodruff. 2007. Changes in linkage disequilibrium over time in Drosophila melanogaster for two sex-linked loci. Drosophila Information Service. 90: 177-186.

Robinson, Bethany, Natalie Wiseman, Mingcai Zhang, Cynthia J. Staber and R. C.Woodruff. 2008. Identification of selfish genetic elements in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster. II. Segregation Distorter (SD). Drosophila Information Service. 90: In press.

Onasch, Katherine D. and R. C. Woodruff. 2008. Experimental observation of inbreeding depression and heterosis in Drosophila melanogaster. Drosophila Information Service. 90: In press.