College of Science and Health > Faculty & Staff > Faculty A-Z > Margaret Silliker

Margaret Silliker

  • msillike@depaul.edu
  • Professor Emeritus, Molecular Biology
  • ​​​​​​​PhD ​
  • Biological Sciences
  • (773) 325-2194
  • McGowan North, Room 115​
    McGowan North, Room 239    
Classes Taught
  • Molecular Biology (Bio 360/460)
  • Introduction to STEM Peer Mentoring (Bio 369)
  • Communicating Science (Bio 494)

Research Interests

Margaret Silliker's lab is interested in using lower eukaryotes to understand molecular mechanisms. Most recently she has been studying the plasmodial slime mold Didymium iridis in the Myxomycetes, kingdom Mycetozoa. This group is most closely allied with the animal-fungal clade. Haploid cells of Didymium will only mate when cell densities are high, therefore they must be able to sense cell density and respond differently to low and high cell densities. This ability has the hallmark of a quorum sensing mechanism. Silliker's​ current research project involves using suppression subtractive hybridization to identify genes involved in this process.

Select Publications

Walker, L. M., Hoppe, T., Silliker, M. E. 2017. Molecular Techniques and Current Research Approaches. In: Myxomycetes: Biology, Systematics, Biogeography and Ecology edited by Carlos Rojas Alvarado, Steven L. Stephenson. Academic Press, pp. 145-153.

​Hendrickson, P.G. and Silliker, M.E. 2010. RNA editing in six mitochondrial ribosomal protein genes of Didymium iridis. Current Genetics 56(3):203-213.

Traphagen, Stephen J., DiMarco, Michael J. and Margaret E. Silliker. 2010. RNA editing of ten Didymium iridis mitochondrial genes and comparison to the homologous genes in Physarum polycephalum. RNA 16:828-838.

Professional Society Memberships
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • American Associate of University Women
  • American Society for Microbiology
  • Genetics Society of America
  • Mycological Society of America​