Caleb D. Phillips

Web Links

• Natural Science Research Laboratory 
• Google Scholar

Research Interests

The Phillips laboratory studies metagenomic and genomic evolution and function.

Our work in the field of metagenomics focuses on understanding the determinants of community assembly of microbiomes, and how microbiomes relate to health in wildlife and in humans.  Current research projects include the study of assembly of bat microbiomes, as well as how people's genetics determine the composition of their chronic wound infections. The latter is being conducted in collaboration with the Southwest Regional Wound Care Center and involves the development of the Wolcott Wound Care Research Collection at The Museum of TTU.

We also are investigating how post-transcriptional regulation during craniofacial development by the RNA-binding protein, Musashi-2, may be important for normal development and morphological differences among species.

Other projects focus on biodiversity and conservation of Texas mammals.

Selected Publications

• Avirineni BS, Singh A, Zapata RC, Stevens RD, Phillips CD, Chelikani PK (2022) Diets Containing Egg or Whey Protein and Inulin Fiber Improve Energy Balance and Modulate Gut Microbiota in Exercising Obese Rats. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.202100653
• Avirineni BS, Singh A, Zapata RC, Phillips CD, Chelikani PK (2022) Dietary whey and egg proteins interact with inulin fiber to modulate energy balance and gut microbiota in obese rats. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2021.108860
• Vandewege M, Caio C, Phillips CD (2020) Positive selection on secretory and structural components of salivary glands within the ecologically diverse bat family Phyllostomidae. Genome Biology and Evolution, 10.1093/gbe/evaa151
• Tipton CD, Wolcott RD, Sanford NE, Miller C, Pathak G, Silzer TK, Sun J, Fleming D, Rumbaugh KP, Little TD, Phillips N, Phillips CD (2020) Patient genetics is linked to chronic wound microbiome composition and healing, PLoS Pathogens, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008511
• Tipton CD, Sanford NE, Everett JA, Gabrilska RA, Wolcott RD, Rumbaugh KP, Phillips CD (2019) Chronic wound microbiome colonization on mouse model following cryogenic preservation. PLoS One, 14(8): e0221565
• Phillips CD, Dunnum JL, Dowler RC, Bradley LC, Garner HJ, MacDonald KA, Lim BK, Revelez MA, Campbell ML, Lutz HL, Ordonez Garza N, Cook JA, Bradley RD, and the Systematic Collections Committee of the American Society of Mammalogists (2019) Curatorial guidelines and standards of the American Society of Mammalogists for collections of genetic resources. Journal of Mammalogy, 100: 1690-1694
• Phillips CD, Hanson JD, Wilkinson J, Koenig L, Rees E, Webala P, Kingston T (2017) Microbiome Structural and Functional Interactions across Host Dietary Niche Space. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 57(4):743-755.
• Tipton CD, Mathew ME, Wolcott RA, Wolcott RD, Kingston T, Phillips CD (2017) Temporal dynamics of relative abundances and bacterial succession in chronic wound communities. Wound Repair and Regeneration, DOI: 10.1111/wrr.12555.
• Wolcott RD, Hanson JD, Rees E, Koenig L, Phillips CD, Wolcott R, Cox SB, White J (2016) Analysis of the Chronic Wound Microbiota of 2963 Patients by 16S rDNA Pyrosequencing. Wound Repair and Regeneration, DOI:10.1111/wrr.12370.
• Phillips CD, RJ Baker (2015) Secretory gene recruitments in vampire bat salivary adaptation and potential convergences with sanguivorous leeches. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, DOI:10.3389/fevo.2015.00122
• Phillips CD, B Butler, JW Fondon, H Mantilla-Meluk, RJ Baker (2013) Contrasting evolutionary dynamics of the developmental regulator PAX9, among bats, with evidence for a novel post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism. PLoS One, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057649
• Phillips CD, G Phelan, SE Dowd, MM McDONOUGH, AW Ferguson, JD Hanson, L Siles, N Ordóñez-Gerza, M San Francisco, RJ Baker (2012) Microbiome analysis among bats describes influences of host phylogeny, life history, physiology and geography. Molecular Ecology, 21(11):2617-2627