Research Directions

How neural circuits form and maintain their exquisite architecture is an enduring question in developmental neurobiology. We aim to understand the molecular & cellular interactions of neurons and glial cells that pattern, shape and safeguard the impressive diversity of neural cell architectures and connectivity in neural circuits. Over the past years, we identified a hierarchical mode of brain circuit assembly, brain pioneer cells, molecular steps and conserved genes controlling brain assembly. We implicated genes, with homologs associated with human pathologies of neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration. We uncovered and characterized glia-neuron interactions that initiate brain formation or that safeguard brain architecture in age-progression, and in response to environmental changes. We will now analyze molecular networks of pioneer cell formation, the impact of pioneer cell and circuit architecture in animal behaviour, and the conservation of the discovered mechanisms.

Approach

We can use an integrative array of interdisciplinary approaches of advanced genetics, molecular & cell biology, live timelapse and quantitative imaging, transcriptomics, gene and cell manipulations in space and time to study our research questions. We harness Caenorhabditis elegans as a premier model to unravel neural circuit development, glial biology, and glia–neuron interactions. With its compact nervous system, rich molecular tools, and transparent body, C. elegans allows us to probe fundamental mechanisms that are conserved across metazoans. We also highlighted remarkable similarities between C. elegans & vertebrate circuits. We now establish collaborations to dissect general principles patterning circuit architecture, conserved between C. elegans and vertebrates.