University of California-Davis · BiologyKopp Evolution Lab
Artyom Kopp · Davis, California
Research Focus
Dr. Artyom Kopp's lab at the University of California, Davis studies how entirely new biological traits originate and evolve over time, focusing on the Drosophila model system. The research investigates the genetic changes underlying new traits, how these affect the development and function of cells, and how new regulatory elements in the genome contribute to evolution. By exploring these processes, the lab aims to deepen our understanding of evolutionary innovations and their implications for human health.
evolutionDrosophilagenetic innovationmorphological traitsregulatory elementsmolecular geneticsgene expressioncell differentiationanatomy
Research Aims
5AIM 01Identify key DNA sequence changes responsible for new morphological structures in Drosophila.
AIM 02Characterize the cell differentiation pathways that translate genetic changes into novel traits.
AIM 03Examine how ancestral genes acquire new expression patterns in different tissues.
AIM 04Test the role of existing regulatory sequences and the origins of new regulatory elements.
AIM 05Reconstruct the evolutionary process that produces new regulatory elements from ancestral sequences.
Skills the Lab Values
DNA sequencinggene editingmolecular cloningcell cultureimmunostainingCRISPRphenotypic analysismicroscopybioinformatics
Output against the department
Publications127bottom 45% of dept.565th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations7.4ktop 49% of dept.509th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.