Teri Lear, PhD

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center
Department of Veterinary Science
University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 40546-0099

My lab conducts research in the areas of comparative genomics, clinical cytogenetics and genetic systems related to the health of horses and other mammals. While I work primarily in the area of equine genetics, I also include other members of the family Equidae, such as the hemiones and zebras, and other Perissodactyls, such as rhinos and tapirs.

Why study horses and their relatives?
  • Horses are the number one economic industry in Kentucky. Understanding the genome organization of the horse is key to understanding how to improve the health of horses, thereby improving the economy of Kentucky and the welfare of its citizens.
  • Most horse relatives can be infected with horse pathogens, but the outcome is different. We want to identify the determinants of resistance for horse diseases and the key may reside in understanding the species specific resistance of other Equidae. Members of the family Equidae, about 10 species, all have different diploid chromosome numbers ranging from 66 to 32. Studying their chromosomes and genome organization provides information that can lead to a better understanding of how differences in their genomes may influence resistance to infectious diseases, as well as how speciation occurred in this family.
  • Inclusion of other Perissodactyls enables us to gather information on what mechanisms have contributed to chromosome evolution in this order, such as Robertsonian translocations, telomere fusions, translocations, centromere shifts and neocentromere formation. This information contributes to the overall understanding of how ancestral mammalian chromosomes might have been organized and how chromosome changes affect speciation.
Research Interests
  • Identification and Physical Mapping of Important Genes in the Horse
  • Understanding the Evolution of Genome Organization of the Horse and other Perissodactyls by Comparative Mapping Approaches
  • Clinical Cytogenetics for Equines