Serena Tucci, PhD
Assistant Professor
Research & Publications
Biography
Research Summary
The newly established Tucci lab uses a broad interdisciplinary approach combining expertise in evolutionary biology, population genetics, computational biology, anthropology and functional genomics, to reconstruct the complex history of humans and disentangle the genetic basis of human adaptation and phenotypic variation. By integrating field work, laboratory work and cutting-edge computational methods, Tucci's work sheds light on mechanisms of evolutionary change, and on the genetic legacy that extinct humans - such as Neanderthals and the enigmatic Denisovans - left in the genomes of present-day human populations in Island Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Coauthors
Research Interests
Adaptation, Biological; Anthropology; Immune System; Linguistics; Evolution, Molecular; Computational Biology; Genomics; Genomic Structural Variation; Neanderthals; DNA, Ancient; Whole Genome Sequencing; Human Genetics; Genetic Introgression
Selected Publications
- The contribution of Neanderthal introgression to modern human traitsReilly P, Tjahjadi A, Miller S, Akey J, Tucci S. The contribution of Neanderthal introgression to modern human traits. Current Biology 2022, 32: r970-r983. PMID: 36167050, PMCID: PMC9741939, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.027.
- Evolutionary history and adaptation of a human pygmy population of Flores Island, IndonesiaTucci S, Vohr SH, McCoy RC, Vernot B, Robinson MR, Barbieri C, Nelson BJ, Fu W, Purnomo GA, Sudoyo H, Eichler EE, Barbujani G, Visscher PM, Akey JM, Green RE. Evolutionary history and adaptation of a human pygmy population of Flores Island, Indonesia. Science 2018, 361: 511-516. PMID: 30072539, PMCID: PMC6709593, DOI: 10.1126/science.aar8486.
- Analysis of Human Sequence Data Reveals Two Pulses of Archaic Denisovan AdmixtureBrowning SR, Browning BL, Zhou Y, Tucci S, Akey JM. Analysis of Human Sequence Data Reveals Two Pulses of Archaic Denisovan Admixture. Cell 2018, 173: 53-61.e9. PMID: 29551270, PMCID: PMC5866234, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.02.031.
- Denisovan and Neanderthal archaic introgression differentially impacted the genetics of complex traits in modern populationsKoller D, Wendt F, Pathak G, De Lillo A, De Angelis F, Cabrera-Mendoza B, Tucci S, Polimanti R. Denisovan and Neanderthal archaic introgression differentially impacted the genetics of complex traits in modern populations. BMC Biology 2022, 20: 249. PMID: 36344982, PMCID: PMC9641937, DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01449-2.
- Excavating Neandertal and Denisovan DNA from the genomes of Melanesian individualsVernot B, Tucci S, Kelso J, Schraiber JG, Wolf AB, Gittelman RM, Dannemann M, Grote S, McCoy RC, Norton H, Scheinfeldt LB, Merriwether DA, Koki G, Friedlaender JS, Wakefield J, Pääbo S, Akey JM. Excavating Neandertal and Denisovan DNA from the genomes of Melanesian individuals. Science 2016, 352: 235-239. PMID: 26989198, PMCID: PMC6743480, DOI: 10.1126/science.aad9416.
- Genome structural variation in human evolutionHollox E, Zuccherato L, Tucci S. Genome structural variation in human evolution. Trends In Genetics 2021, 38: 45-58. PMID: 34284881, DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2021.06.015.
- Human Migrations: Tales of the PacificFriedlaender JS, Tucci S. Human Migrations: Tales of the Pacific. Current Biology 2020, 30: r1478-r1481. PMID: 33352129, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.11.008.
- Let's stream! A beginners' guide to livestreaming scientific conferencesAmorim C, Tucci S. Let's stream! A beginners' guide to livestreaming scientific conferences. Evolutionary Anthropology Issues News And Reviews 2020, 29: 90-93. PMID: 32275790, DOI: 10.1002/evan.21830.
- The long walk to African genomicsTucci S, Akey JM. The long walk to African genomics. Genome Biology 2019, 20: 130. PMID: 31248437, PMCID: PMC6598360, DOI: 10.1186/s13059-019-1740-1.
- Nature DigestTucci S, Akey J. Nature Digest. Nature Digest 2017, 14: 26-28. DOI: 10.1038/ndigest.2017.170126.
- A map of human wanderlustTucci S, Akey JM. A map of human wanderlust. Nature 2016, 538: 179-180. PMID: 27654916, DOI: 10.1038/nature19472.
- Demographic History of the Genus Pan Inferred from Whole Mitochondrial Genome ReconstructionsLobon I, Tucci S, de Manuel M, Ghirotto S, Benazzo A, Prado-Martinez J, Lorente-Galdos B, Nam K, Dabad M, Hernandez-Rodriguez J, Comas D, Navarro A, Schierup MH, Andres AM, Barbujani G, Hvilsom C, Marques-Bonet T. Demographic History of the Genus Pan Inferred from Whole Mitochondrial Genome Reconstructions. Genome Biology And Evolution 2016, 8: 2020-2030. PMID: 27345955, PMCID: PMC4943195, DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evw124.
- Traces of medieval migrations in a socially stratified population from Northern Italy. Evidence from uniparental markers and deep-rooted pedigreesBoattini A, Sarno S, Pedrini P, Medoro C, Carta M, Tucci S, Ferri G, Alù M, Luiselli D, Pettener D. Traces of medieval migrations in a socially stratified population from Northern Italy. Evidence from uniparental markers and deep-rooted pedigrees. Heredity 2014, 114: 155-162. PMID: 25204305, PMCID: PMC4815625, DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2014.77.
- Can mtDNA contribute to disentangle the Afro-Asiatic querelle?Castri L, Boattini A, Sarno S, De Fanti S, Flamigni E, Cioffi M, Frinchillucci G, Tucci S, Garagnani P, Useli A, Pettener D, Luiselli D. Can mtDNA contribute to disentangle the Afro-Asiatic querelle? Journal Of Biological Research - Bollettino Della Società Italiana Di Biologia Sperimentale 2012, 85 DOI: 10.4081/4094.
- Chemokine 25-induced signaling suppresses colon cancer invasion and metastasis.Chen HJ, Edwards R, Tucci S, Bu P, Milsom J, Lee S, Edelmann W, Gümüs ZH, Shen X, Lipkin S. Chemokine 25-induced signaling suppresses colon cancer invasion and metastasis. The Journal Of Clinical Investigation 2012, 122: 3184-96. PMID: 22863617, PMCID: PMC3428084, DOI: 10.1172/JCI62110.