Research
We study how genomes and biological systems evolve, how genomic variation shapes regulation and traits, and how genomics can inform conservation and breeding.
1. Tracing the evolution of genome structure
We investigate how structural variation, chromosomal rearrangements, and whole-genome duplication arise and shape genome evolution. Atlantic salmon provides a central system for studying the long-term consequences of duplicated genomic regions.
Selected publications
- Ancient persistence and recurrent emergence of structural variants across divergent Atlantic salmon lineages
Célian Diblasi; Jun Soung Kwak; Domniki Manousi; Mariann Árnyasi; Arturo Vera-Ponce de Leon; Nicola J. Barson; Marie Saitou · bioRxiv · 2026 - Beyond inversions and deletions: the evolutionary and functional insights from translocations, fissions, and fusions in animal genomes
Célian Diblasi; Marie Saitou · Heredity · 2025 - Parallel Selection in Domesticated Atlantic Salmon from Divergent Founders Including on Whole-Genome Duplication-derived Homeologous Regions
Pauline Buso; Célian Diblasi; Domniki Manousi; Jun Soung Kwak; Arturo Vera-Ponce de León; Kristina Stenløkk; Nicola J. Barson; Marie Saitou · Genome Biology and Evolution · 2025
2. Linking genomic variation to gene regulation and traits
We study how genomic variants alter gene expression, regulatory networks, and phenotypes. This includes regulatory divergence and dosage compensation after whole-genome duplication, as well as genomic responses to domestication and disease.
Selected publications
- Imputed graph-genotyped structural variants identify regulatory haplotypes associated with gene expression in Atlantic salmon
Maëlys Chapis; Domniki Manousi; Célian Diblasi; Cathrine Brekke; Junsoung Kwak; Arturo Vera Ponce de León; Mariann Árnyasi; Randi Fenstad; Solomon Boison; Marie Saitou · bioRxiv · 2026 - Large-scale eQTL analyses in Atlantic salmon reveal persistent dosage compensation 100 million years after genome duplication
Célian Diblasi; Domniki Manousi; David G. Hazlerigg; Lars Grønvold; Nicola J. Barson; Simen R. Sandve; Marie Saitou · bioRxiv · 2025
3. Understanding the evolution of biological systems at the molecular level
We use comparative genomics and transcriptomics to examine how molecular systems originate and diversify. Current work includes the evolution of vertebrate secretory systems and the trajectory of lactation-related cellular programmes.
Selected publications
- Comparative Transcriptomics Suggests that Breast Secretory Epithelium Reuses Gene Repertoires Conserved Across Vertebrates Beyond Mammals
Marie Saitou · Genome Biology and Evolution · 2026 - Functional and regulatory diversification of Period genes responsible for circadian rhythm in vertebrates
Jun Soung Kwak; M. Ángel León‐Tapia; Célian Diblasi; Domniki Manousi; Lars Grønvold; Guro K. Sandvik; Marie Saitou · G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics · 2024 - Gene gain and loss drive the diversification of gig immune genes in teleosts: structural and regulatory insights from Atlantic salmon
Domniki Manousi; Shahmir Naseer; Samuel Martín; Simen R. Sandve; Marie Saitou · Fish & Shellfish Immunology · 2026
4. Applying genomics to conservation and breeding
We combine population genomics and evolutionary modelling to understand the condition and vulnerability of wild and managed populations. Applications include hybrid detection in European lobster, threatened aquatic and coastal populations, Atlantic salmon breeding, and the spatial design of marine no-take zones.
Selected publications
- Resampling-based evaluation of a 79-SNP panel for hybrid classification across generations: a case study in European lobster (Homarus gammarus)
Erik Sandertun Røed; Charlie Ellis; Jamie R. Stevens; Louise Chavarie; Marie Saitou · G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics · 2026 - Dissecting the genetic basis of response to salmonid alphavirus in Atlantic salmon
Domniki Manousi; Dorota Monika Jaskula; Fabian Grammes; Tim Martin Knutsen; Shahmir Naseer; Samuel Martín; Thomas Moen; Marie Saitou; Sigbjørn Lien · BMC Genomics · 2025 - Evaluating microbial signals in poly(A)-selected Atlantic salmon RNA-seq data using reference-based taxonomic and compositional analyses
Marie Saitou; Arturo Vera Ponce De Leon; Akira Harding; Celian Diblasi; Domniki Manousi; Jun Soung Kwak; David G. Hazlerigg; Turid Mørkøre; Lars-Gustav Snipen · bioRxiv · 2025