Research Interests

My research interests are focused on the intersection of developmental genetics and evolution. Research projects in the laboratory take advantage of our ‘zoo’ of fly cultures to study the evolution of developmental mechanisms.

We seek to establish the insect order Diptera (true flies) as a model taxon for comparative developmental genetics. Using Drosophila genetics as an entry point, we would like to understand how developmental mechanisms originate and change in the course of phylogenetic radiations. Current projects focus on axis specification, head development and extraembryonic epithelia. Any aspect of fly development is a potential target for future work.

Selected Publications

Rafiqi, Ab. M., Lemke, S. L., Ferguson, S., Stauber, M., Schmidt-Ott, U. (in press). Evolutionary origin of the amnioserosa in cyclorrhapahan flies correlates with spatial and temporal expression changes of zen. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA.

Bullock, S. L., Stauber, M., Prell, A., Hughes, J., Ish-Horowicz, D., Schmidt-Ott, U. (2004). Differential cytoplasmic mRNA localization adjusts pair-rule transcription factor activity to cytoarchitecture in dipteran evolution. Development 131, 4251-4261. (PubMed)

Stauber, M., Prell, A., Schmidt-Ott, U. (2002) A single Hox3 gene with composite bicoid and zerknüllt expression characteristics in non-Cyclorrhaphan flies. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99, 274-279. (PubMed)

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