Michalis AVEROF
Comparative developmental biology and regeneration
Comparative developmental biology and regeneration
KEYWORDS: Comparative developmental biology (evo-devo), regeneration, segmentation
Our team studies the evolution of developmental mechanisms. Established model organisms provide formidable tools for studying development, but they allow us to probe only a fraction of the biological diversity found in nature. We work to establish genetic tools in emerging model organisms, particularly in the crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis and the beetle Tribolium castaneum. Using these tools, we study mechanisms of regeneration and body axis formation and segmentation. In Parhyale we focus on the cellular basis of limb regeneration, mapping the progenitors of regenerated tissues; our study reveals the existence of satellite-like cells acting as muscle progenitors, suggesting a shared basis for muscle regeneration in arthropods and vertebrates. In Tribolium we focus on axial growth and the sequential emergence of trunk segments from a posterior pre-segmental zone; we are studying the progenitor cells that reside in this zone and the mechanisms that commit them to segments.
Recent publications:
Recent publications:
- Konstantinides N and Averof M (2014) A common cellular basis for muscle regeneration in arthropods and vertebrates. Science 343: 788-791
- Gilles AF and Averof M (2014) Functional genetics for all: engineered nucleases, CRISPR and the gene editing revolution. EvoDevo 5: 43
- Rödel CJ, Gilles AF and Averof M (2013) microRNAs act as cofactors in Bicoid-mediated translational repression. Current Biology 23: 1579-1584
- Sarrazin AF, Peel AD and Averof M (2012) A segmentation clock with two-segment periodicity in insects. Science 336: 338-341
- Kontarakis Z, Pavlopoulos A, Kiupakis A, Konstantinides N, Douris V and Averof M (2011) A versatile strategy for gene trapping and trap conversion in emerging model organisms. Development 138: 2625-2630
