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Evolution of Germ Cell Specification and Reproductive Systems
Our lab is interested in the evolution of early embryonic development, with a focus on the germline and the evolution of the mechanisms that specify these cells during embryonic development. We use molecular genetic developmental analysis, histological analysis, next-generation sequencing gene expression tools, and experimental embryology to study germ cells and gonad development in several different arthropod model systems. Our ultimate goals are to understand (1) the developmental mechanisms controlling early cell fates, particularly germ cell fates, in arthropods and broadly across Metazoa; and (2) how these mechanisms may have changed over evolutionary time.
Germ cells play a unique role in gamete production, heredity and evolution, and as such display competitive behaviors throughout development. Germ cells are likely also the closest wild type in vivo equivalent to laboratory-maintained stem cells. Understanding the mechanisms that specify germ cells is therefore a central challenge in developmental and evolutionary biology. We are interested in the commonalities between germ cells and stem or pluripotent cells of all kinds. We integrate existing data into an evolutionary framework to form hypotheses about the origin of germ cells from stem cells, and use these hypotheses to generate testable questions for experimental work in Drosophila melanogaster and other arthropods.
The following is a description of the major projects currently underway in the lab:
Germline Research
Somatic Gonad Research
Early Embryonic Patterning Research
Facilitating Gene Discovery in Evo-Devo
- Developmental Transcriptomes for Emerging Model Arthropods
(Victor Zeng, Ben Ewen-Campen, Evelyn Schwager)
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