Classes Taught

• Molecular Biology (Bio 360/460)
• Introduction to STEM Peer Mentoring (Bio 369)
  
• Communicating Science (Bio 494)
  

Margaret Silliker's lab is interested in using lower eukaryotes to understand molecular mechanisms. Most recently she has been studying the plasmodial slime mold Didymium iridis in the Myxomycetes, kingdom Mycetozoa. This group is most closely allied with the animal-fungal clade. Haploid cells of Didymium will only mate when cell densities are high, therefore they must be able to sense cell density and respond differently to low and high cell densities. This ability has the hallmark of a quorum sensing mechanism. Silliker's​ current research project involves using suppression subtractive hybridization to identify genes involved in this process.

Walker, L. M., Hoppe, T., Silliker, M. E. 2017. Molecular Techniques and Current Research Approaches. In: Myxomycetes: Biology, Systematics, Biogeography and Ecology edited by Carlos Rojas Alvarado, Steven L. Stephenson. Academic Press, pp. 145-153.