The developmental biology program combines research activities centered in the Institute of Neuroscience with those in the Institute of Molecular Biology and the Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Several laboratories (Eisen, Guillemin, Kimmel, Postlethwait, Washbourne, and Westerfield) use zebrafish as a model in which to study the mechanisms underlying vertebrate development. Other research groups study development in the fruit fly (Doe, Guillemin, Herman, Johnson, Prehoda), the mouse (Guillemin, Kentros, Stankunas, Washbourne), the three spine stickleback (Cresko, Kimmel, Postlethwait), the nematode (Bowerman, Phillips), yeast (Sprague, Stevens), neurospora (Selker), and evolving gene families (Thornton). Members of all of these laboratories actively share information and resources in this diverse and rapidly moving field. In addition to a graduate research training program, a weekly journal club, and joint research group meetings, the developmental biologists participate in a yearly symposium on a topic of interest selected by graduate students in the participating laboratories.
PROGRAM MEMBERS
| INSTITUTE OF NEUROSCIENCE | |
|---|---|
| Chris Doe | Generation of neuron and glial diversity; asymmetric cell division |
| Judith Eisen | Specification and patterning of neurons and neural crest cells |
| Clifford Kentros | Cellular and molecular basis of memory; regulation of gene expression in the mammalian brain |
| Charles Kimmel | Cranial skeletal morphogenesis |
| Adam Miller | Neural circuit development and function in zebrafish. Genetics, cell biology, biochemistry, and function of electrical synapses. |
| John Postlethwait | Genetic regulation of development; evolution of the vertebrate genome |
| Philip Washbourne | Molecular mechanisms of synapse formation |
| Monte Westerfield | Ear and eye development and pathogenesis; synaptic development |
| institute of molecular biology | |
|---|---|
| Bruce Bowerman | Genetic analysis of cytoskeleton development in C.elegans |
| Karen Guillemin | Bacterial-host interactions in development; H. pylori mechanisms of pathogenesis |
| Tory Herman | Neural target selection and synapse formation |
| Eric Johnson | Hypoxia, genomics, gene regulation |
| Ken Prehoda | Signal transduction; protein interactions networks; x-ray crystallography |
| Eric Selker | Epigenetics; DNA methylation; genome dynamics; gene silencing; position effects |
| George Sprague | Genetic regulatory mechanisms |
| Kryn Stankunas | Chromatin dynamics and epigenetic control of vertebrate development |
| Tom Stevens | Cellular and developmental mechanisms of membrane biogenesis; protein sorting; organelle assembly |
| Mike Harms | Biophysics of protein evolution |
| INSTITUTE OF ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION | |
|---|---|
| William Cresko | Developmental genetics of evolving traits; gene and genome duplication; evolutionary genetics |
| Patrick Phillips | Empirical and theoretical studies of developmental genetics, evolutionary genetics, ecology, and behavior |