Amir Fallahshahroudi

Short presentation

I am a junior scientist at Uppsala University (UU) in Sweden, specialising in avian reproduction and sexual dimorphism.

Biography

My PhD research (2012-2018) at Linköping University, Sweden focused on the genetic basis of stress and sexual dimorphism in domestic chickens. I made my three major findings. First, I demonstrated how a variant of the TSHR gene influences gene expression and seasonal reproduction in domestic chickens (Fallahshahroudi et al. 2021, Genetics). Second, I discovered that a variant of the BCO2 gene influences carotenoid storage in chickens (Fallahshahroudi et al. 2019, Genetics). Third, I showed that changes in the expression of key genes in the pituitary gland affect multiple critical traits in domestic chickens (Fallahshahroudi et al. 2018, Heredity; featured article). In a collaborative study, we identified a male-biased microRNA, miR-2954, and hypothesised its role in avian dosage compensation (Warnefors et al. 2017, Genome Research). To test this hypothesis, I established a collaboration between Heidelberg University (HU) and the Roslin Institute (RI) and secured a prestigious Swedish Research Council VR international postdoctoral grant (€300,000; 2018-2022). During my fellowship, I knocked out miR-2954 in vivo using CRISPR-Cas9, and investigated its molecular and phenotypic consequences. I found that miR-2954 is essential for males and key for avian sex chromosome dosage compensation. The resulting manuscript is currently under revision in Nature (Fallahshahroudi et al. 2024, bioRxiv) after receiving positive and constructive reviews. This research fostered my expertise in avian transgenesis and led to a strategic collaboration with the RI. Furthermore, I made significant contributions to a groundbreaking study unravelling the developmental origin and evolution of the avian pallium under revision in Science (Zaremba et al. 2024, bioRxiv). Additionally, I contributed to the reference book "Encyclopaedia of Reproduction" ("Sex determination and gonadal development in birds"; Fallahshahroudi et al., 3rd edition, in press).

Subsequently, I secured a Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (Formas) starting grant (€400,000; 2022-2026), launching my independent career at Uppsala University (UU). This grant allowed me to conduct the key analyses that motivate my research programme, by combining single-cell RNA sequencing with a large bulk RNA sequencing dataset of chickens. Currently, my team focuses on improving our understanding of avian reproduction and sexual dimorphism. To this end, we use CRISPR-Cas9 and gene expression manipulation using lentiviral vectors.