Drosophila Nervous System Development; Gene Regulation

Telephone: (919) 962-4380 (Office);
(919) 962-3155 (Lab); (919) 962-8472 (Fax)

E-mail: steve_crews@unc.edu

Office: 322 Fordham Hall

Mailing Address:
CB# 3280, Coker Hall
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3280

Selected References | Teaching | Curriculum Vitae | Lab Members | Lab Home Page

• Formation and differentiation of Drosophila neurons and glia
• Genomic-scale analysis of CNS gene expression
• Molecular analysis of CNS transcription
• Regulatory control of axon guidance pathways
• Molecular genetic analyses of tubular branching mechanisms

Our laboratory is primarily concerned with the molecular mechanisms that govern the development of the Drosophila CNS, including: (1) how neuronal and glial precursor cells are generated, (2) how neurons acquire their differentiated properties, (3) the role of glia in nervous system development and function, (4) the control of axon guidance pathways, and (5) the cellular basis of complex locomotory behaviors. The primary focus of the lab is on studying neuronal and glial development at the level of transcriptional control. The lab is also interested in how signaling proteins and transcriptional control mechanisms govern the fusion of Drosophila tracheal branching, which is an excellent model system for understanding branching morphogenesis, as occurs in vertebrate the vascular system and lung.

CNS midline cells (green) and subset of lateral CNS cells (red)