Our research is focused on understanding how neuronal connectivity is established during development. Our work investigates the function of extrinsic guidance cues and their receptors on axonal guidance, dendritic morphology, and synapse formation and function. For several years we...
Chemotaxis plays a key role in immune response, wound healing, angiogenesis, and embryogenesis as well as mediating cancer metastasis. Research in Dictyostelium discoideum has shown that chemoattractants are sensed by GPCRs and rapidly trigger a complex network of signaling...
Auditory hair cells, located in the inner ear cochlea are critical for our ability to detect sound. In mammals, neural innervated hair cells come in two flavors: inner hair cells, which are our primary mechanoreceptor and relay sound information...
The vertebrate central nervous system (CNS) is an amazingly complex structure composed of distinct subtypes of neurons and glia. Our lab aims to identify the molecular mechanisms that control the generation of the major cell types of the vertebrate...
A fundamental property of living cells is their extraordinary ability to sense and respond to a changing environment. In higher eukaryotes, malfunctioning of signaling networks has many devastating consequences such as cancer, diabetes or autoimmunity. Such consequences arise from...
Our laboratory is interested in the molecular mechanisms and physiological roles of mitochondrial fusion. Mitochondria are highly dynamic and control their morphology by a balance of fusion and fission. The regulation of membrane fusion and fission generates a striking...
Our lab studies gene regulation in germ cells, with a focus on “RNA granules” which are phase-separated compartments rich in RNA and proteins. We have identified a family of intrinsically-disordered proteins that form gel-like assemblies that sequester RNA (RNA...
The nervous system consists of a great variety of neurons and glia that together form the components and circuits necessary for nervous system function. Neuronal and glial diversity are generated through a series of highly orchestrated events that control...
My lab is an interdisciplinary group that devises and experimentally tests computational tools to explore cell type identity and its molecular underpinnings. A unifying component of our research is the gene regulatory network (GRN). GRNs are programs encoded in...
