Drosophila Developmental Epigenetics

Research in our laboratory is focused on the study of the regulation of gene expression mediated by the Polycomb (PcG) group of epigenetic proteins and by microRNAs. We use Drosophila as a model system.

Current studies are particularly focused on the understanding of the Polycomb-microRNAs regulatory circuit.  Changes in PcG and microRNAs levels have drastic effects on organismal development and are involved in the generation of human pathologies. However, little is known about how PcG levels are controlled and how microRNAs are involved in this process.

We study the role of the microRNAs in the control of PcG levels by directly identifying microRNAs that bind to the 3’UTRs of PcG. Additionally, the impact of variations of PcG levels on microRNAs expression is analyzed by the induction of intestinal epigenetic tumors and subsequent isolation and characterization of the microRNAs contained in the hemolymph exosomes. Understanding the microRNAs-PcG regulatory circuit will lead to a more complete understanding of the mechanisms underlying exosome-dependent inter-organ communication and their role in the genesis and progression of human diseases.