Muscle Biology in Drosophila
We use genetic manipulation of fruit flies and fancy imaging methods to study muscle structure and function
What we do
We want to know how the muscles work and how they are formed. To study muscles, we use Drosophila, a great genetic model. We make precise mutations in Drosophila and interrogate their consequences in muscles. To see the muscle ultrastructure, we use fancy microscopy techniques, like confocal microscopy, super-resolution microscopy, and electron microscopy. To study the effect of these mutations on muscle function we precisely measure how well flies can move their wings or how well they can fly. We make some gadgets to measure this.
Project 1 - The proteins that hold the sarcomere together
As myofibrils contract, they resist a huge amount of tension. We study the mechanisms that prevent myofibrils to break. The image below shows myofibrils without filamin break during muscle contractions.
Project 2 - The metabolic regulation of sarcomere growth
Not only proteins are required for building sarcomeres, but metabolites also play a critical role in regulating the growth of sarcomeres. Muscles maintain metabolite homeostasis and we study how they do it.
Project 3 - Wing beat frequency
Flies beat their wings very fast, some up to 1000 times per second. Drosophila melanogaster does it 200 times per second. We want to know the genes responsible for such variation so we combine phylogenetic models with gene-swapping strategies. To measure their wingbeat frequency, we use high-speed cameras and laser vibrometers.
We have openings for undergraduates, graduates, and postdocs.
Contact nicanor.gonzalez[at]dal.ca to get more information