Sergio Munoz-Gomez
Research Areas
RESEARCH
Our research program investigates the origins of major cellular innovations and transitions in cell evolution. We are interested in understanding how energetics and physiology constrain the evolution of cells. We thus undertake an evolutionary cell physiological approach that combines experiments (physiology, systems biology, cell biology, experimental evolution) and computational analyses (comparative genomics and phylogenetics) to address our research questions. We are currently focused on understanding the evolutionary drivers and physiological consequences (costs and benefits) of nascent genes, mitochondria, phagocytosis, and photosymbionts. We are also exploring how macroevolutionary increases in cellular complexity affect physiology. Our approach and focus have the potential to reveal new rules of life as well as the ecological and evolutionary conditions that promoted the origins of cellular innovations and major cell body plans across the tree of life. Learn more about our research at www.ecsolab.com
EDUCATION
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellow, Universite Paris-Saclay, France
Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2018), Dalhousie University, Canada
B.Sc. Honors in Biology (2013), Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- Muñoz-Gómez, S.A. (2024). “The energetic costs of cellular complexity in evolution”. Trends in Microbiology 32(8):746-755.
- Muñoz-Gómez, S.A. , Cadena, L.R., Gardiner, A.T., Leger, M.M., Sheikh, S., Connell, L.B., Bilý, T., Kopejtka, K., Beatty, J.T., Kopejtka, K., Beatty, J.T., Koblížek, M., Roger, A.J., Slamovits, C.H., Lukeš, J., Hashimi, H. (2023). “Intracytoplasmic-membrane development in alphaproteobacteria involves the homolog of the mitochondrial crista-developing protein Mic60”. Current Biology 33(6):1-13.
- Muñoz-Gómez, S.A. , Hess, S. (2023). “Purple photosymbioses”. Current Biology 33:R159-R179.
- Muñoz-Gómez, S.A. (2023). “Energetics and evolution of anaerobic microbial eukaryotes”. Nature Microbiology 8, 197-203.
- Schavemaker, P.E., Muñoz-Gómez, S.A. (2022). “The role of mitochondrial energetics in the origin and diversification of eukaryotes.” Nature Ecology and Evolution 6:1307–1317.
- Muñoz-Gómez, S.A. , Susko, E., Williamson, K., Eme, L., Slamovits, C. H., Moreira, D., López- García, P., Roger, A.J. (2022). “Site-and-branch-heterogeneous analyses of an expanded dataset favors mitochondria as sister to known Alphaproteobacteria.” Nature Ecology and Evolution 6:253–262.
- Muñoz-Gómez, S.A. , Kreutz, M., Hess, S. (2021). “A microbial eukaryote with a unique combination of purple bacteria and green algae as endosymbionts.” Science Advances 7:eabg4102.
- Roger, A.J., Muñoz-Gómez, S.A. , and Kamikawa, R. (2017). “The Origin and Diversification of Mitochondria.” Current Biology 27(21):pR1177-R1192.
- Muñoz-Gómez, S.A. , Mejía-Franco, F. G., Durnin, K., Colp, M., Grisdale, C. J., Archibald, J. M., and Slamovits, C. H. (2017). “The new red algal subphylum Proteorhodophytina comprises the largest and most divergent plastid genomes known.” Current Biology 27(11):1677-1684.
- Muñoz-Gómez, S.A. , Slamovits, C.H., Dacks, J.B., Baier, K.A., Spencer, K.D., and Wideman, J.G. (2015). “Ancient homology of the Mitochondrial Contact Site and Cristae Organizing System (MICOS) points to the endosymbiotic origin of mitochondrial cristae.” Current Biology 25(11):1489-1495.