Small RNA mediated genome defense in Drosophila
Small RNA pathways are universally involved in silencing selfish genetic elements in eukaryotes. My group studies the Drosophila Piwi/piRNA pathway that acts as the major defense system against the deleterious activity of transposons. We are studying the genetic and molecular makeup of this intriguing pathway and aim to understand how its role in genome defense is linked to transgenerational silencing phenomena such as hybrid dysgenesis.
Keywords
Small RNA silencing pathways / transposon biology / PIWI pathway / heterochromatin / transcriptional silencing