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Mechanical forces produced by condensin ii promotes DNA (blue) tethers at the nuclear envelope to pull Lamin (red) proteins and membrane to form intra-nuclear vesicular bodies. image by lita bozler.
The Bosco Lab has two major research interests:
One part of the lab studies how chromosomes and chromatin are organized in 3-dimensional space, and we want to understand (1) the biological function of how different chromosomal arrangements affect gene regulation and genome stability, and (2) how tiny molecular machines move called condensins, stretch and condense chromosomes in order to regulate different 3D organizational states. We also want to understand how different chromosome configurations controlled by condensins impact function of structural elements like telomeres and centromeres. We love Drosophila polytene chromosomes and wish we could understand how they are formed.
The other part of the lab studies learning and behavior, specifically how sensory inputs (e.g. smell, vision, etc.) from the environment are integrated by the brain, and how neuroendocrine signaling alters distant, non-neuronal tissues, for example germline stem cells.
For more details click on the RESEARCH tab above.
the mushroom body of the adult drosophila brain is labeled with greeen fluorescent protein from the jellyfish (shown here in white). this structure is important for learning and memory in the fruit fly. we are interested in how this part of the brain stores information, how this structure changes as the flies age and how age impaired memory is affected by changes in mushroom body structure. image by balint kacsoh.
Why use fruit flies for research?
We use cultured human cells, mice, fruit flies and wasps in our research. Our favorite model system is the Drosophila fruit fly. Drosophila has been used as an experimental system for over 100-years. Multiple Nobel Prizes have been awarded (as recently as 2017!) to scientists who used Drosophila as their experimental system of choice to discover some of the most important secrets of life. How inheritance works, how our body-plan is specified in our DNA, and important molecules of the immune system have all been discovered by scientists using fruit flies as their experimental model system. What we learn from the humble fruit fly very often can be developed into new tools, new therapies and new ways to apply these tools to grand challenges of human health. Want to know more about the awesome power of fruit fly genetics and its real contributions to human health? We suggest you take a look at Stephanie Mohr's book "First in Fly," or take your pick of over 1,200 review articles on "Drosophila and Human Disease."
USE THE TABS AT THE TOP TO LEARN MORE ABOUT:
Chromosomes and chromatin
Genome Organization
Fly learning and memory
LAB NEWS
January 2023: Congratulations to Madhu and Shiva on their new publication in Bio-Protocols. This paper details how to culture and use larval parasitic wasp, and how to use them for Drosophila behavioral work. Click here to see this methods paper.
August 2022: Marek collaborates with our friends in the Goodrum lab (U of Arizona) to show how Translesion Polymerases are required for human cytomegalovirus genome stability. Click here to see this paper in PNAS.
May 2022: Marek Svobodo’s computational paper and thesis work is published in NAR Genomics. Congrats to Marek! A great collaboration with Rob Frost in Biomedical Data Sciences. Click here to check out the paper.
April 2022: Click here to check out our new paper in PNAS on genetic determinants of autism in a mouse model. Shiva and Madhu collaborate with the Luikart lab at Dartmouth for a wonderful story on PTEN and Fragile-X.
April 2022: Marek Svoboda successfully defends his PhD and his computational work is published. Now Marek is off to finish medical school!
Sept. 2021: Shiva Sathyanarayana lands a prestigious 2-year pathology fellowship at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital. We are sad to see him go but very happy for his success.
April 2021: Huy Nguyen, Bosco lab alum and former Dartmouth MCB student, launches new biotech company as co-founder with post-doc advisors Ting Wu and George Church. Check out their new company, Acuity Spatial Genomics.
March 2021: The Genetics Society of America appoints Madhu Sadanandappa to the Early Career Leadership Program. Well deserved award for Madhu. Read about it by clicking here.
March 2021: Madhu Sadanandappa’s paper is accepted to PLOS Genetics. As of mid-April it already has over 1,100 views! Congrats, Madhu! Click here to view it.
September 2020: Emily Weyburne’s paper accepted to Journal of Cell Physiology. Congrats Emily! A really cool story about condensins protecting human telomeres (PMID: 33078399. DOI: 10.1002/jcp.30113)