Research interests
C. elegans muscle development and organogenesis
We are part of the Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology group in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago. We study the development and function of the pharynx in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The pharynx is a prominent neuromuscular organ located at the anterior end of the C. elegans digestive tract. It is comprised of several very different cell types including muscles, neurons, epithelial cells, secretory glands, and specialized structural cells called marginal cells. Our lab studies how the pharynx is formed during development and how pharyngeal neurons and muscles interact for effective feeding. Questions we are interested in include:
We are part of the Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology group in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago. We study the development and function of the pharynx in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The pharynx is a prominent neuromuscular organ located at the anterior end of the C. elegans digestive tract. It is comprised of several very different cell types including muscles, neurons, epithelial cells, secretory glands, and specialized structural cells called marginal cells. Our lab studies how the pharynx is formed during development and how pharyngeal neurons and muscles interact for effective feeding. Questions we are interested in include:
- How are different pharyngeal cell fates specified during embryogenesis?
- What mechanisms control differentiation of cells in the pharynx, particularly the pharyngeal muscles and neurons?
- How is differentiation of the various pharyngeal cell types coordinated so they can form a functional organ?
- Are the mechanisms controlling nematode pharyngeal development conserved in other species, including ourselves?