Jessica Kissinger
Associate Professor
Ph.D. (1995) Indiana University
Phone: 706-542-6562
Email: jkissing@uga.edu
See my Laboratory Home Page

Research Interests
Our lab is interested in parasite genomics and the biology of genome evolution. Our approach is to apply molecular, computational and phylogenetic tools to the analysis of parasite genomes. Projects include the development of tools for data mining, comparative genomics and assessing the phylogenetic distribution of genes. We welcome students interested in working on the bench, at the computer, or both.
  • Aurrecoechea, C., M. Heiges, H. Wang, Z. Wang, S. Fischer, P. Rhodes, J. Miller, E. Kraemer, C.J. Stoeckert, D.S. Roos and J.C. Kissinger. 2007. ApiDB: Integrated Resources for the Apicomplexan Bioinformatics Resource Center. Nucleic Acids Research.
  • Z. Wang, X. Gao, C. He, J.A. Miller, J.C. Kissinger, M. Heiges, C. Aurrecoechea, E.T. Kraemer and C. Pennington. 2007. A Comparison of Federated Databases with Web Services for the Integration of Bioinformatics Data. Conference Proceedings: The 2007 World Congress in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, & Applied Computing (BIOCOMP'07), Las Vegas, Nevada, June 2007 pp. 334-338.
  • Kissinger, J.C. 2007. Genomics. In: Cryptosporidium and Cryptosporidiosis. R. Fayer and L. Xiao (eds). Taylor and Francis, FL.
  • Kissinger, J.C., and C.-H. Kuo. 2007. Evolution and comparative genomics of Toxoplasma gondii In: The Biology of Toxoplasma gondii. J. Ajioka and D. Soldati (eds). Horizon Scientific Press, Norfolk, UK.
  • Nash, O., C. Huynh, S. Doumbia, J.C. Kissinger, R.D. Isokpeh and O.O. Olorunsogo. 2007. Building Bioinformatics Capacity in West Africa. Special Issue: The African Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences 36: Suppl. 15-18.
  • Mullapudi, N., C. Lancto, M. Abrahamsen and J.C. Kissinger. 2007. Identification of putative cis-regulatory elements in Cryptosporidium parvum by de novo pattern finding. BMC Genomics 8: 13.
  • Szabó, Z., A. O. Stahl, S.-V. Albers, J.C. Kissinger, Arnold, J.M. Driessen and M. Pohlschröder. 2007. Identification of diverse archaeal proteins with class III signal peptides cleaved by distinct archaeal prepilin peptidases. Journal of Bacteriology 189: 772-778.
  • Aurrecoechea, C., M. Heiges, H. Wang, Z. Wang, S. Fischer, P. Rhodes, J. Miller, E. Kraemer, C.J.Stoeckert, D.S. Roos and J.C. Kissinger. 2007. ApiDB: Integrated Resources for the Apicomplexan Bioinformatics Resource Center. Nucleic Acids Research 35: D427-30.
  • Stoeckert, C.J., S. Fischer, J.C. Kissinger, M. Heiges, C. Aurrecoechea, B. Garija and D.S. Roos. 2006. PlasmoDB 5.0: new looks, new genomes. Trends in Parasitology 22: 543-546.
  • Paterson, A.H., B.A. Chapman, J.C. Kissinger, J.E Bowers and F.A. Feltus. 2006. Convergent selection for retention or loss of specific gene/domain families following independent whole-genome duplication events in Arabidopsis, Oryza and Saccharomyces. Trends in Genetics 22: 543-546.
  • Wang, H., Y. Su, A. Mackey, E. Kraemer and Kissinger, J.C. 2006. SynView: A GBrowse-compatible Approach to Visualizing Comparative Genome Data. Bioinformatics 22: 2308-2309.
  • Kissinger, J.C. 2006. A Tale of three genomes - the kinetoplastids have arrived. Trends in Parasitology 22.
  • Aguero, F., W. Zheng, D.B. Weatherly, P. Mendes and J.C. Kissinger. 2006. TcruziDB: An integrated, post-genomics community resource for Trypanosoma cruzi.  Nucleic Acids Research 34: D428-431.
  • Heiges, M., H. Wang, E. Robinson, C. Aurrecoechea, X. Gao, N. Kaluskar, P. Rhodes, S. Wang, C. He, Y. Su, J.A. Miller, E. Kramer and J.C. Kissinger. 2006. CryptoDB: A Cryptosporidium Bioinformatics Resource Update. Nucleic Acids Research 34: D419-422.
  • Huang, J. and J. C. Kissinger. 2006. Lateral and intracellular gene transfer in the Apicomplexa: the scope and functional consequences. In: Genome Evolution in Eukaryotic Microbes. L.A. Katz and D. Bhattacharya (eds). Oxford University Press.
  • Whetzel, P., B. Gajria, J.C. Kissinger, C.J. Stoeckert Jr. and D.S. Roos. 2006. PlasmoDB:  The Plasmodium Genome Resource. In: Malaria: Parasite Biology, Pathogenesis, and Protection, 2nd Edition, I.W. Sherman (ed). ASM Press.
  • Huang, J., N. Mullapudi, C.A. Lancto, M. Scott, M.S. Abrahamsen and J.C. Kissinger. 2004. Cryptosporidium parvum: Phylogenomic evidence supports past endosymbiosis, intracellular and horizontal gene transfer. Genome Biology 5: R88.
  • Striepen, B. and J.C. Kissinger. 2004. Genomics meets transgenics in search of the elusive Cryptosporidium drug target. Trends in Parasitology 20: 355-358.
  • Gunasekera, A.M., S. Patankar, J. Schug, G. Eisen, J. Kissinger, D. Roos and D.F. Wirth. 2004. Widespread distribution of antisense transcripts in the Plasmodium falciparum genome. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 136: 35-42.
  • Vidigal, T.H.D.A., L. Spatz, J.C. Kissinger, R.A.F. Redondo, E.C.R. Pires, A.J.G. Simpson and O.S. Carvalho. 2004. Analysis of the first and second internal transcribed space sequences of the ribosomal DNA in Biomphalaria tenagophila complex (Mullusca: Planorbidae). Memorias Oswaldo Cruz 99: 153-158.
  • Kissinger, J.C. and D.S. Roos. 2004. Getting the most out of bioinformatics resources  In: Genomes and the Molecular Cell Biology of Malaria Parasites. A. Waters and C. Janse (eds). Horizon Scientific Press, Norfolk, UK.
  • Striepen, B., A.J.P. Pruijssers, J. Huang, C. Li, M.J. Gubbels, N.N. Umejiego, L. Hedstrom and J.C. Kissinger. 2004. Multiple gene transfers in the evolution of parasite nucleotide biosynthesis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA101: 3154-3159.
  • Huang, J., N. Mullapudi, T. Sicheritz-Ponten and J.C. Kissinger. 2004. A glimpse in the pattern and scale of gene transfer in the Apicomplexa. International J. for Parasitology 34: 265-274.
  • Stwora-Wojczyk, M.M., J.C. Kissinger, S.L. Spitalnik and B.S. Wojczyk. 2004. O-glycosylation in Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium parvum: Identification and analysis of a family of UDP-GalNAc:polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases. International J. for Parasitology 34: 309-322.
  • D. Puiu, S. Enomoto, G.A. Buck, M. Abrahamsen and J.C. Kissinger. 2004. CryptoDB: The Cryptosporidium genome resource. Nucleic Acids Research 32: D329-D331.
  • Luchtan, M., C. Warade, B. Weatherly, R.L. Tarleton and J.C. Kissinger. 2004. TcruziDB: An integrated Trypanosoma cruzi genome resource. Nucleic Acids Research 32: D344-D346.
  • Milgram, A.J., B. Gajria, J.C. Kissinger, D.S. Pearson and D.S. Roos. 2003. Plasmodium falciparum GenePlot. CD-ROM Insert, Plasmodium genome: Scientific achievement and medical opportunity. Nature 421: 6926.
  • Li, L., B.P. Brunk, J.C. Kissinger, D. Pape, J. Martin, T. Wylie, M. Dante, K. Tang, R. Cole, S. J. Fogarty, D.K.Howe, P. Liberator, C. Diaz, M. White, M.E. Jerome, E.A. Johnson, J.A. Radke, R. Waterson, S. Clifton, D.S. Roos, and L. D. Sibley. 2003. Gene discovery in the Apicomplexa as revealed by EST sequencing and assembly of a comparative gene database. Genome Research 13: 443-454.
  • Su, C., D. Evans, R. Cole, J.C. Kissinger, J.W. Ajioka and L.D. Sibley. 2003. Recent expansion of Toxoplasma through enhanced oral transmission. Science 299: 414-416.
  • Bahl, A., B. Brunk, J. Crabtree, M.J. Fraunholz, B. Gajria, G.R. Grant, H. Ginsburg, D. Gupta, J.C. Kissinger, P. Labo, L. Li, M.D. Mailman, A.J. Milgram, D.S. Pearson, D.S. Roos, J. Schug, C.J. Stoeckert Jr. and P. Whetzel. 2003. PlasmoDB: The Plasmodium Genome Resource. A database integrating experimental and computational data. Nucleic Acids Res. 31: 212-215.
  • Kissinger, J.C., B. Gajria, L. Li, I. Paulsen and D. Roos. 2003. ToxoDB: Accessing the Toxoplasma gondii Genome. Nucleic Acids Res. 31: 234-236.
  • "Genome Evolution, Innovation and Host adaptation in the Apicomplexa ", NIH
  • “PlasmoDB”, NIH
  • “Informatics training for Brazilian vector and parasitic diseases,” NIH
  • “Integrated databases for Apicomplexan Pathogens,” NIH
  • "Informatics Analysis of Cryptosporidium Gene Expression", NIH
  • "Genome Sequencing and comparative analysis of coronaviruses," USDA
  • "Cryptosporidium parvum EST project", NIH