David Ledbetter Nanney

His research activities began with an analysis of mating type inheritance in Paramecium aurelia (PhD Indiana U., 1951) and an interest in epigenetic control systems in ciliated protozoa. His work shifted to another ciliate, Tetrahymena pyriformis, now T. thermophila, and the development of inbred strains for sophisticated laboratory analysis. These organisms were employed in studies of developmental mechanisms, particularly those associated with long-term structural inertia. While his students have continued with the genomic sequencing of T. thermophila, and the molecular basis of epigenetic regulation, his later studies have led him into exploring the biodiversity of the tetrahymenine ciliates more generally, using molecular sequencing as an adjunct to breeding studies to demonstrate the multiplicity of morphologically indistinguishable sibling species. Retired in 1991, contributed frozen samples of a considerable species collection to the American Type Culture collection, and discontinued laboratory studies in 2003.