Our lab is interested in how cells and organisms compensate for changes in their environment and in gene expression as a result of mutation. A major driving force in evolution is the organism's ability to adapt to changing environments and genomes. Multicellular organisms develop by transforming a mass of undifferentiated cells into intricately organized groups of cells that coalesce to form functional structures. This process is known as pattern formation.
Drosophila embryos have a tremendous capacity to repair mispatterned tissues.
Using genetically altered embryos, we can study the cell biology of pattern repair in a wide variety of ways. We have taken an interdisciplinary approach to understanding pattern repair, from genetics and molecular biology to high-end microscopy and computerized image analysis to the design and synthesis of new chemical reagents. We have developed methods to follow cell division, cell shape, gene expression and cell death by time-lapse microscopy. We have also developed a method for turning selected genes on in specific cells with light, called photoactivated gene expression. This allows us to alter the behavior of single cells,or patches of cells, and determine how the cells respond.