Richard L. Borowsky Professor of Biology Ph.D. 1969 (biology), M.Phil. 1967 (biology), Yale; B.A. 1964 (biology), Queens College. Office Address: New York University Department of Biology 1009 Silver Center 100 Washington Square East New York, NY 10003-6688 Email: Phone: (212) 998-8260 Fax: (212) 995-4015 List of Publications from Pubmed Personal Homepage

Research

The Cave Biology Research Group concentrates on the molecular evolution and genetics of cave fishes. Current projects include genomic mapping of the QTL (quantitative trait loci) responsible for developmental changes in eyes, pigmentation and metabolism in Astyanax cave fish from Mexico and molecular phylogenetic studies of the balitorid cave fishes of SE Asia. The laboratory also engages in an active program of field research, with current efforts in Thailand, Mexico and Brazil.

Teaching
The main teaching activity is the coordination of the undergraduate Principles of Biology course.

Areas of Research/Interest

The evolution and genetics of cave fish with an emphasis on understanding the molecular and developmental bases of adaptation and the "eyeless" condition.

External Affiliations

American Society of Human Genetics; Genetics Society of America; Society for the Study of Evolution; American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists; American Society of Naturalists; National Speleological Society; Sociedad Mexicana de Exploraciones Subterraneas (SMES); Fellow, The Explorers Club.

Fellowships/Honors

National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship; SFB Fellow, Theodor Boveri Institute, Würzburg, 1994.

Publications

• Multi-trait evolution in a cave fish, Astyanax mexicanus.
  Evol Dev
  Protas M, Tabansky I, Conrad M, Gross JB, Vidal O, Tabin CJ, Borowsky R
  
  
• Construction of bacterial artificial chromosome libraries for the Lake Malawi cichlid (Metriaclima zebra), and the blind cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus).
  Zebrafish
  Di Palma F, Kidd C, Borowsky R, Kocher TD
  
  
• Regressive evolution in the Mexican cave tetra, Astyanax mexicanus.
  Curr Biol
  Protas M, Conrad M, Gross JB, Tabin C, Borowsky R
  
  
• Genetic analysis of cavefish reveals molecular convergence in the evolution of albinism.
  Nat Genet
  Protas ME, Hersey C, Kochanek D, Zhou Y, Wilkens H, Jeffery WR, Zon LI, Borowsky R, Tabin CJ
  
  
• Mapping a cave fish genome: polygenic systems and regressive evolution.
  J Hered
  Borowsky R, Wilkens H
  
  
• Nucleotide diversity in populations of balitorid cave fishes from Thailand.
  Mol Ecol
  Borowsky RL, Vidthayanon C
  
  
• Localization of a CDKN2 gene in linkage group V of Xiphophorus fishes defines it as a candidate for the DIFF tumor suppressor.
  Genes Chromosomes Cancer
  Kazianis S, Gutbrod H, Nairn RS, McEntire BB, Della Coletta L, Walter RB, Borowsky RL, Woodhead AD, Setlow RB, Schartl M, Morizot DC
  
  
• Evolutionary divergence of AP-PCR (RAPD) patterns.
  Mol Biol Evol
  Espinasa L, Borowsky R
  
  
• Genetic mapping in Xiphophorus hybrid fish: assignment of 43 AP-PCR/RAPD and isozyme markers to multipoint linkage groups.
  Genome Res
  Kazianis S, Morizot DC, McEntire BB, Nairn RS, Borowsky RL
  
  
• Arbitrarily primed DNA fingerprinting for phylogenetic reconstruction in vertebrates: the Xiphophorus model.
  Mol Biol Evol
  Borowsky RL, McClelland M, Cheng R, Welsh J
  
  
• Stable association of a pigmentation allele with an oncogene: nonhybrid melanomas in Xiphophorus variatus.
  J Hered
  Kazianis S, Borowsky R
  
  
• Spontaneous melanoma formation in nonhybrid Xiphophorus.
  Cancer Res
  Schartl A, Malitschek B, Kazianis S, Borowsky R, Schartl M
  
  
• Social Inhibition of Maturation in Natural Populations of Xiphophorus variatus (Pisces: Poeciliidae).
  Science
  Borowsky R
  
  
• Melanomas in Xiphophorus variatus (Pisces, Poeciliidae) in the absence of hybridization.
  Experientia
  Borowsky R