Welcome

Building a brain during development represents an immensely complex task, which requires the precise coordination of a multitude of cellular behaviors. Our lab is particularly interested in understanding how diverse neuron and glial cell subtypes come together to form a functional neural circuit. We chose the visual system of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as our model because of its intricate, highly regular architecture, that undergoes amazing transformations as it matures. A hallmark of visual circuits is their organization into interconnected layers and columns.

Our research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms, by which neuron-neuron and neuron-glia interactions shape layered and columnar connectivity
in space and time.

Key words:

Visual system
Neuro- and gliogenesis
Layered and columnar connectivity
Neuron-neuron and neuron-glia interactions
Astrocyte branch morphogenesis
Neurite remodeling

Our model organism:

the fruit fly
Drosophila melanogaster

Methods:

Imaging (confocal/EM)
Molecular Biology
Advanced Genetics
Mass spectrometry
Transcriptomics