Anna Klompen Email & Phone Number

I am an evolutionary biologist and toxinologist specializing in the organization, function, and evolution of the venom system of the phylum Cnidaria (jellyfish, sea anemones, etc). I am interested in how selection influences the evolution and ecological utility of cnidarian venoms and their venom delivery system, specifically with respect to the diverse life history characteristics displayed across the group. My research program integrates organismal, cellular to molecular techniques, including genomic manipulation approaches within established non-traditional laboratory models, such as transgenesis and CRISPR-Cas9 mediated gene knockdown. Currently I am a NSF Postdoctoral Research in Biology Fellow and Postdoctoral Researcher at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in the lab of Dr. Matt Gibson. I am using the model sea anemone Nematostella to explore the intermolecular dynamics involved in the assembly of cnidae (I.e. stinging cell organelles) through advanced molecular approaches, including multi-color hybridization chain reaction (HCR) FISH and Probe-seq approaches, and development of novel report lines for for direct study of cnidogenesis in vivo. I am particularly interested in how specific subcellualr morphologies arise and lend to the evolution of specific cnidae subtypes. I completed my PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (with Honors) at the University of Kansas, supervised by Dr. Paulyn Cartwright. My thesis focused on the diversification and evolution of venom genes within the subphylum Medusozoa. I explored the relationship between venom composition and ecological function, including how venom composition and function changes across diverse life history characteristics, such as the transition from a benthic polyp to pelagic medusa and division of labor across colonial organisms. My research primarily utilized the model snail fur or hermit crab fur hydroid, Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus, and incorporated organismal, molecular, transcriptomic, and functional genomic approaches. During my PhD, I developed a highly robust reporter line for developing stinging cells in Hydractinia and, in combination with FACS, de novo transcriptomic assembly, differential expression, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemstry, established how division of labor impacts the venom system, and specific venom toxins, within this system.

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  Postdoctoral Researcher

  Stowers Institute For Medical Research

  Jan 2023 - Present