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Dylan Shropshire, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at Lehigh University

Dylan Shropshire

Assistant Professor

610.758.4114
dys222@lehigh.edu
D208 - Iacocca Hall
Education:

Postdoc, University of Montana (2020-2023)

PhD in Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University (2020)

Certificate in College Teaching, Vanderbilt University (2018)

BS in Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University (2015)

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Additional Interests

  • Host-microbe interactions
  • Genetics
  • Molecular biology
  • Cell biology
  • Mosquito control

Research Statement

It has become increasingly clear that many animals have close, often intimate, relationships with bacteria and viruses. These associations can have profound impacts on host biology. The Shropshire Lab is a collaborative research group studying insect-microbe interactions, with a focus on endosymbiotic bacteria that live inside host cells. Wolbachia bacteria are the most common known endosymbionts, living within over half of insect species. Dr. Shropshire's prior work has focused on understanding the genetic, mechanistic, and evolutionary underpinnings of traits that govern Wolbachia's widespread prevalence. Specifically, many Wolbachia impact their host's reproduction in several ways to encourage their spread across generations. Among these, cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is the most common, causing eggs to die when Wolbachia-bearing males mate with uninfected females. Females with Wolbachia remain compatible. Additionally, our research has revealed that Wolbchia, despite traditionally being considered maternally inherited bacteria, move rapidly across host species. 

The Shropshire lab aims to deeply understand the genetic, molecular, and mechanistic basis of Wolbachia's spread within and across insect populations. 

More details about our research program can be found here.

Biography

Dr. Shropshire's path to scientific discovery began in rural Appalachia, Tennessee, where he became the first in his family to graduate high school. This journey continued at East Tennessee State University, where he earned his bachelor's degree. Following his passion for research, Dr. Shropshire obtained his PhD from Vanderbilt University and further honed his expertise through a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Montana. He joined Lehigh University in 2023 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.

Dr. Shropshire is captivated by the intricate dance between microbes and their animal hosts, particularly the fascinating phenomenon of endosymbiosis where microbes live within the cells of other organisms. Wolbachia bacteria, the most common animal endosymbiont, infects over half of insect species, often reaching near-ubiquity within populations. His research lab delves into the secrets of Wolbachia's success, focusing on two key aspects: its prevalence within insect species and its remarkable ability to spread across different species. Their interdisciplinary approach leverages entomology, genetics, cell biology, and evolutionary biology to tackle these captivating questions.

Beyond research, Dr. Shropshire's passion extends to mentorship and education. He is dedicated to fostering the next generation of scientific minds and believes strongly in the importance of scientific inquiry. He is committed to sharing his knowledge and excitement about the microbial world.

Image
The Shropshire Lab at dinner.

A complete list of papers is available on Google Scholar

Trainees+; Co-first authorships#; Corresponding authors

Research articles in refereed journals since 2015

2024
Kaur, R., McGarry, A., Shropshire, J. D., Lehigh, B., Bordenstein, S. R. (2024) Phage proteins modulate eukaryotic long non-coding RNA and DNA to spread a bacterial symbiont. Science, 383(6687), 1111-1117. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adk9469

Shropshire, J. D., Conner, W., Vanderpool, D., Hoffmann, A. A., Turelli, M., Cooper, B. S. (2024) Rapid turnover of pathogen-blocking Wolbachia and their incompatibility loci. BioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.04.569981.

2022
Shropshire, J. D., Hamant, E.+, Conner, W. R., & Cooper, B. S. (2022). cifB-transcript levels largely explain cytoplasmic incompatibility variation across divergent WolbachiaPNAS Nexus1(3), pgac099. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac099

Hague, M. T. J., Shropshire, J. D., Caldwell, C. N., Statz, J. P., Stanek, K. A., Conner, W. R., & Cooper, B. S. (2022). Temperature effects on cellular host-microbe interactions explain continent-wide endosymbiont prevalence. Current Biology32(4), 878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.065

2021
Shropshire, J. D., Rosenberg, R.+, & Bordenstein, S. R. (2021). The impacts of cytoplasmic incompatibility factor (cifA and cifB) genetic variation on phenotypes. Genetics217(1), iyaa007. https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/iyaa007

Shropshire, J. D., Hamant, E.+, & Cooper, B. S. (2021). Male age and Wolbachia dynamics: Investigating how fast and why bacterial densities and cytoplasmic incompatibility strengths vary. mBio12(6), e02998-21. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.02998-21

2020
Shropshire, J. D., Kalra, M.+, & Bordenstein, S. R. (2020). Evolution-guided mutagenesis of the cytoplasmic incompatibility proteins: Identifying CifA’s complex functional repertoire and new essential regions in CifB. PLOS Pathogens16(8), e1008794. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008794

Pugazenthi, S.+, White, P.+, Basu, A.+, Chandrashekar, A.+, & Shropshire, J. D. (2020). Survey of Wolbachia frequency in Nashville, Tennessee reveals novel infections. American Journal of Undergraduate Research, 17(1), 21–29. https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2020.013

2019
Shropshire, J. D., & Bordenstein, S. R. (2019). Two-By-One model of cytoplasmic incompatibility: Synthetic recapitulation by transgenic expression of cifA and cifB in DrosophilaPLOS Genetics15(6), e1008221. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1008221

Layton, E. M.+, On, J.+, Perlmutter, J. I., Bordenstein, S. R., & Shropshire, J. D. (2019). Paternal grandmother age affects the strength of Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility in Drosophila melanogastermBio10(6), e01879-19. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01879-19

2018
Shropshire, J. D., On, J.+, Layton, E. M.+, Zhou, H.+, & Bordenstein, S. R. (2018). One prophage WO gene rescues cytoplasmic incompatibility in Drosophila melanogasterProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America115(19), 4987–4991. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1800650115

2017
LePage, D. P.#†, Metcalf, J. A.#†, Bordenstein, S. R., On, J., Perlmutter, J. I., Shropshire, J. D., Layton, E. M.+, Funkhouser-Jones, L. J., Beckmann, J. F., & Bordenstein, S. R. (2017). Prophage WO genes recapitulate and enhance Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility. Nature543(7644), 243. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature21391

2016
Shropshire, J. D.#, van Opstal, E. J.#, & Bordenstein, S. R. (2016). An optimized approach to germ-free rearing in the jewel wasp NasoniaPeerJ4, e2316. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2316

2015
Shropshire, J. D., Moore, D., Seier, E., & Joplin, K. H. (2015). Male aggression, limited female choice and the ontogeny of mating behaviour in the flesh fly Sarcophaga crassipalpisPhysiological Entomology40(4), 325–335. https://doi.org/10.1111/phen.12118

Reviews and perspectives in refereed journals since 2015

2021
Kaur, R., Shropshire, J. D., Cross, K. L., Leigh, B., Mansueto, A. J., Stewart, V., Bordenstein, S. R., & Bordenstein, S. R. (2021). Living in the endosymbiotic world of Wolbachia: A centennial review. Cell Host & Microbe, 29(6), 879–893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2021.03.006

2020
Shropshire, J. D., Leigh, B., & Bordenstein, S. R. (2020). Symbiont-mediated cytoplasmic incompatibility: What have we learned in 50 years? eLife9, e61989. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.61989

2019
Shropshire, J. D., Leigh, B., Bordenstein, S. R., Duplouy, A., Riegler, M., Brownlie, J. C., & Bordenstein, S. R. (2019). Models and nomenclature for cytoplasmic incompatibility: Caution over premature conclusions - a response to Beckmann et al. Trends in Genetics35(6), 397–399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2019.03.004

2017
Shropshire, J. D., & Rokas, A. (2017). Heredity: The gene family that cheats Mendel. eLife6, e28567. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.28567

2016
Shropshire, J. D., & Bordenstein, S. R. (2016). Speciation by symbiosis: The microbiome and behavior. mBio7(2), e01785-15. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01785-15

Dittmer, J., van Opstal, E. J., Shropshire, J. D., Bordenstein, S. R., Hurst, G. D. D., & Brucker, R. M. (2016). Disentangling a holobiont—Recent advances and perspectives in Nasonia wasps. Frontiers in Microbiology7, 1478. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01478

Teaching

Academic instruction
(BIOS 324) Microbiology
We share planet Earth with an unimaginable number of “invisible” microbial life forms, including bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, algae, and protozoa. The diversity and adaptive capability of microbes – made possible by their metabolic, genetic, and cellular plasticity – is simply astounding. Under the pressures of natural selection, microbes have evolved to thrive not only in the obvious places, such as ponds and deli meat, but also in extreme environments like acid mine drains, arsenic-rich lakes, and deep-ocean thermal vents. While it is true that some microbes cause disease, many more play pivotal, positive roles in our health and environment. For example, our own bodies harbor at least ten times more bacterial cells than human cells – bacteria that help us fight disease, develop immunity, and extract energy and nutrients from our food.

Moreover, bacteria and other microbes likely hold the key to answering several of the serious challenges faced by humankind and planet Earth in the 21st century, including environmental bioremediation and the search for novel drugs, antibiotics, and renewable energy sources.

(BIOS 398/498) Host-Microbe Interactions
This course explores the fascinating and complex world of host-microbe interactions, examining the impact of host-associated microbes on biodiversity, ecology, and evolution. Using primary literature, we investigate the diversity of these interactions and the mechanisms driving them, and engage in lively group discussions and collaborative mini-reviews that hone scientific communication skills. By the end of the course, you will have gained a deep understanding of the latest research on host-microbe interactions and the tools to evaluate and communicate scientific ideas effectively. Whether your interests lie in microbiology, ecology, evolution, genetics, molecular biology, or biomedicine, this course offers a comprehensive and captivating examination of the intricacies of host-microbe interactions, providing a deep understanding of this fundamental aspect of life on Earth.

Practical instruction
(BIOS 161) Supervised Research
Apprenticeship in ongoing faculty research program. Literature review, experimental design, data collection and analysis, and professional writing under faculty sponsor supervision. Only 3 credits can be counted toward any life science major. Consent of instructor required.

(BIOS 391) Undergraduate Research
Laboratory research under tutorial with a faculty member. Must have junior standing. Consent of instructor required.

(BIOS 407) Research in Biological Sciences
Laboratory investigations in one of the department's research areas.