The Heath-Heckman
Symbiosis Lab
Michigan State University​

​​2026

​​​​​​

Abrecht, M., Martin, K.L.M., Speck, H.P., Escalona, M., Sahasrabudhe, R., Marimuthu, M.P.A., Nguyen, O., Chumchim, N., Beraut, E., Sacco, S., Seligmann, W., Fairbairn, C.W., Miller, C., Heath-Heckman, E., Toffelmier, E., Shaffer, H.B., Jacobs, D.K., 2026. A chromosome-level genome assembly for the beach-spawning California grunion, Leuresthes tenuis. J Hered 117, 856–867. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esag012

​

Sanchez, G., Fernández-Álvarez, F.Á., Bernal, A., Heath-Heckman, E., Lami, R., McFall-Ngai, M., Nishiguchi, M., Nyholm, S., Simakov, O., Allcock, A.L., Rokhsar, D.S., 2026. Rapid mid-Cretaceous diversification of squid and cuttlefish preceded radiation into coastal niches. Nat Ecol Evol 10, 662–676. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-03009-1

​​​

Walker, A.B., Widun, E.V.X., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., 2026. The Neuroanatomy of the Hawaiian Bobtail Squid Juvenile Bacterial Light Organ. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.05.15.725553

​

Westcott, S.M., Bucciarelli, G.M., Heath-Heckman, E.A., Eisthen, H.L., 2026. Normal table of post-embryonic larval development for the California newt, Taricha torosa. bioRxiv 2026.01.30.702904. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.30.702904

​

​​2025

 

Imes, A.M., Pavelsky, M.N., Badal, K., Kamp, D.L., Briseño, J.L., Sakmar, T., Vogt, M.A., Nyholm, S.V., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Grasse, B., Septer, A.N., Mandel, M.J., 2025. Euprymna berryi as a comparative model host for Vibrio fischeri light organ symbiosis. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 91, e00001-25. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00001-25​​​​​​

​

Jacobs, D.K., Kinziger, A., Abrecht, M., McCraney, W.T., Hà, B.A., Spies, B.T., Heath-Heckman, E., Marimuhtu, M.P.A., Nguyen, O., Fairbairn, C.W., Seligmann, W.E., Escalona, M., Miller, C., Shaffer, H.B., 2025. Reference genome for the endangered, genetically subdivided, northern tidewater goby, Eucyclogobius newberryi. J Hered 116, 170–178. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esae053

​

Heath-Heckman, E., 2025. An ancient immune pathway enables animal metamorphosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 122, e2512734122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2512734122

​

Sanchez, G., Simakov, O., Nyholm, S., Nishiguchi, M., McFall-Ngai, M., Lami, R., Heath-Heckman, E., Oatley, G., Sinclair, E., Aunin, E., Gettle, N., Santos, C., Paulini, M., Niu, H., McKenna, V., O’Brien, R., 2025. The chromosomal genome sequence of the bigfin reef squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana d’Orbigny, 1826 and its associated microbial metagenome sequences. Wellcome Open Res 10, 351. https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.24553.1

​

2024

​​​

Zheng, J., Nishida, Y., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Liu, K.J., 2024. Estimating confidence intervals on reconstructed cophylogenies using bootstrap resampling, in: 2024 IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedicine (BIBM). Presented at the 2024 IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedicine (BIBM), pp. 5892–5899. https://doi.org/10.1109/BIBM62325.2024.10821822​

2023

​​

Baden, T., Briseño, J., Coffing, G., Cohen-Bodénès, S., Courtney, A., Dickerson, D., Dölen, G., Fiorito, G., Gestal, C., Gustafson, T., Heath-Heckman, E., Hua, Q., Imperadore, P., Kimbara, R., Król, M., Lajbner, Z., Lichilín, N., Macchi, F., McCoy, M.J., Nishiguchi, M.K., Nyholm, S.V., Otjacques, E., Pérez-Ferrer, P.A., Ponte, G., Pungor, J.R., Rogers, T.F., Rosenthal, J.J.C., Rouressol, L., Rubas, N., Sanchez, G., Santos, C.P., Schultz, D.T., Seuntjens, E., Songco-Casey, J.O., Stewart, I.E., Styfhals, R., Tuanapaya, S., Vijayan, N., Weissenbacher, A., Zifcakova, L., Schulz, G., Weertman, W., Simakov, O., Albertin, C.B., 2023. Cephalopod-omics: Emerging Fields and Technologies in Cephalopod Biology. Integr Comp Biol 63, 1226–1239. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icad087

​

Brooks, J.F., Heath-Heckman, E., Kuang, Z., 2023. Editorial: Environmental rhythms at the host-microbe interface. Front. Genet. 14.  https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2023.1290552

​

Stolarski, J., Drake, J., Coronado, I., Vieira, A.R., Radwańska, U., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Mazur, M., Guo, J., Meibom, A., 2023. First paleoproteome study of fossil fish otoliths and the pristine preservation of the biomineral crystal host. Sci Rep 13, 3822. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30537-8

​

Zheng, J., Nishida, Y., Okrasinska, A., Bonito, G.M., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Liu, K.J., 2023. The Impact of Species Tree Estimation Error on Cophylogenetic Reconstruction, in: Proceedings of the 14th ACM International Conference on Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, and Health Informatics, BCB ’23. Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, pp. 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1145/3584371.3612964

​

2021

​​

Bennett, G.M., Heath-Heckman, E., Sogin, E.M., 2021. Finding Needles in Haystacks and Inferring Their Function: Challenges and Successes in Beneficial Symbiosis Research. mSystems 6, 10.1128/msystems.00243-21. https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00243-21

​

Heath-Heckman, E., Nishiguchi, M.K., 2021. Leveraging Short-Read Sequencing to Explore the Genomics of Sepiolid Squid. Integr Comp Biol 61, 1753–1761. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icab152

​

Heath-Heckman, E., Yoo, S., Winchell, C., Pellegrino, M., Angstadt, J., Lammardo, V.B., Bautista, D., De-Miguel, F.F., Weisblat, D., 2021. Transcriptional profiling of identified neurons in leech. BMC Genomics 22, 215. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-021-07526-0

​

2020

​

Kuo, D.-H., De-Miguel, F.F., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Szczupak, L., Todd, K., Weisblat, D.A., Winchell, C.J., 2020. A tale of two leeches: Toward the understanding of the evolution and development of behavioral neural circuits. Evolution & Development 22, e12358. https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.12358

​

2019

​

Kim, R.C., Le, D., Ma, K., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Whitehorn, N., Kristan, W.B., Weisblat, D.A., 2019. Behavioral analysis of substrate texture preference in a leech, Helobdella austinensis. J Comp Physiol A 205, 191–202. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-019-01317-5​

​

2018

​

Kremer, N., Koch, E.J., El Filali, A., Zhou, L., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Ruby, E.G., McFall-Ngai, M.J., 2018. Persistent Interactions with Bacterial Symbionts Direct Mature-Host Cell Morphology and Gene Expression in the Squid-Vibrio Symbiosis. mSystems 3, 10.1128/msystems.00165-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00165-18

​

2017

​

Nawroth, J.C., Guo, H., Koch, E., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Hermanson, J.C., Ruby, E.G., Dabiri, J.O., Kanso, E., McFall-Ngai, M., 2017. Motile cilia create fluid-mechanical microhabitats for the active recruitment of the host microbiome. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114, 9510–9516. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1706926114

​

Peyer, S.M., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., McFall-Ngai, M.J., 2017. Characterization of the cell polarity gene crumbs during the early development and maintenance of the squid–vibrio light organ symbiosis. Dev Genes Evol 227, 375–387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00427-017-0576-5

​

2016

​

Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., 2016. The Metronome of Symbiosis: Interactions Between Microbes and the Host Circadian Clock. Integr Comp Biol 56, 776–783. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icw067

​

Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Foster, J., Apicella, M.A., Goldman, W.E., McFall-Ngai, M., 2016. Environmental cues and symbiont microbe-associated molecular patterns function in concert to drive the daily remodelling of the crypt-cell brush border of the Euprymna scolopes light organ. Cellular Microbiology 18, 1642–1652. https://doi.org/10.1111/cmi.12602

​

2015

​

Schwartzman, J.A., Koch, E., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Zhou, L., Kremer, N., McFall-Ngai, M.J., Ruby, E.G., 2015. The chemistry of negotiation: Rhythmic, glycan-driven acidification in a symbiotic conversation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112, 566–571. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1418580112

​

2014

​

Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Gillette, A.A., Augustin, R., Gillette, M.X., Goldman, W.E., McFall-Ngai, M.J., 2014. Shaping the microenvironment: evidence for the influence of a host galaxin on symbiont acquisition and maintenance in the squid-vibrio symbiosis. Environmental Microbiology 16, 3669–3682. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.12496

​

Koropatnick, T., Goodson, M.S., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., McFall, -Ngai Margaret, 2014. Identifying the Cellular Mechanisms of Symbiont-Induced Epithelial Morphogenesis in the Squid-Vibrio Association. The Biological Bulletin 226, 56–68. https://doi.org/10.1086/BBLv226n1p56

​

2013

​

Altura, M.A., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Gillette, A., Kremer, N., Krachler, A.-M., Brennan, C., Ruby, E.G., Orth, K., McFall-Ngai, M.J., 2013. The first engagement of partners in the Euprymna scolopes–Vibrio fischeri symbiosis is a two-step process initiated by a few environmental symbiont cells. Environmental Microbiology 15, 2937–2950. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.12179

​​

Chaston, J.M., Murfin, K.E.,Heath-Heckman, E.A., Goodrich-Blair, H., 2013. Previously unrecognized stages of species-specific colonization in the mutualism between Xenorhabdus bacteria and Steinernema nematodes. Cellular Microbiology 15, 1545–1559. https://doi.org/10.1111/cmi.12134

​

Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Peyer, S.M., Whistler, C.A., Apicella, M.A., Goldman, W.E., McFall-Ngai, M.J., 2013. Bacterial Bioluminescence Regulates Expression of a Host Cryptochrome Gene in the Squid-Vibrio Symbiosis. mBio 4, 10.1128/mbio.00167-13. https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.00167-13

​

Kremer, N., Philipp, E.E.R., Carpentier, M.-C., Brennan, C.A., Kraemer, L., Altura, M.A., Augustin, R., Häsler, R., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Peyer, S.M., Schwartzman, J., Rader, B.A., Ruby, E.G., Rosenstiel, P., McFall-Ngai, M.J., 2013. Initial Symbiont Contact Orchestrates Host-Organ-wide Transcriptional Changes that Prime Tissue Colonization. Cell Host & Microbe 14, 183–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2013.07.006

​

2012

​

Mandel, M.J., Schaefer, A.L., Brennan, C.A., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., DeLoney-Marino, C.R., McFall-Ngai, M.J., Ruby, E.G., 2012. Squid-Derived Chitin Oligosaccharides Are a Chemotactic Signal during Colonization by Vibrio fischeri. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 78, 4620–4626. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00377-12

​

McFall-Ngai, M., Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Gillette, A.A., Peyer, S.M., Harvie, E.A., 2012. The secret languages of coevolved symbioses: Insights from the Euprymna scolopes–Vibrio fischeri symbiosis. Seminars in Immunology, Intestinal Microbiota: shaping the immune system ? 24, 3–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smim.2011.11.006

​

2011

​​​​​

Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., McFall-Ngai, M.J., 2011. The occurrence of chitin in the hemocytes of invertebrates. Zoology 114, 191–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2011.02.002​​​​​​