Profile
Anna Klompen is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Gibson Lab.
RESEARCH SUMMARY: I am an evolutionary biologist and toxinologist fascinated by how complex traits are shaped within the context of specialized ecological interactions over evolutionary time. My research takes advantage of the diversity within the venom system of the phylum Cnidaria (jellyfish, hydroids, sea anemones, corals). Cnidarians deploy a unique suite of toxins through a decentralized venom system composed of numerous "stinging cells" or nematocysts, the most ubiquitous type of cnidae (characteristic feature of Cnidaria). Nematocysts have been described as one of the most complex secretory products, in part due to the highly intricate subcellular features that distinguish the ~30 subtypes of nematocysts present across the group. Despite a long history of morphological, histological, and more recent genomic studies on this cell type, little is understood about how these nematocysts and their respective subcellular structures are assembled within the cell. In my current research, I am exploring the molecular dynamics of cnidae assembly across the different morphological types in the model Nematostella through the integration of modern sequencing strategies (single-cell sequencing, probe-sequencing), exploratory proteomics, and functional genomic approaches.