Dr. Alberto Stolfi, Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Alberto Stolfi, Assistant Professor at the School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, will present: "Gene regulatory mechanisms underlying the life cycle transitions of the tunicate Ciona"
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Our laboratory’s research is centered on characterizing the molecular mechanisms that underlie the transition between the motile larval phase and the sessile adult phase of the life cycle of the model tunicate Ciona. Tunicates like Ciona are the invertebrates most closely related to vertebrates, yet possess a biphasic life cycle. During metamorphosis, most differentiated larval cells are eliminated while set-aside undifferentiated adult progenitor cells are spared and go on to form the majority of adult cell types and structures. Our lab uses Ciona as a model for uncovering fundamental but currently unknown mechanisms regulating important cellular processes like myoblast fusion, stem cell survival, differentiation, cellular plasticity, all of which might also be conserved in their close relatives- vertebrates like us.
Visit Dr. Alberto Stolfi's website.
