Research in my laboratory can be broadly classified into the following two categories

Mechanism of postzygotic hybrid incompatibilities between nematode species

Hybrid incompatibility (HI), including sterility and lethality between closely related species has been noticed over a century ago, but only recently is it possible to decipher the molecular basis of speciation. However, C. elegans has not been explored for such research because there is no sister species found with which it mates and produce hybrid viable progeny. C. briggsae is the closest living relative of C. elegans. We are trying to develop new tools and resources to make C. briggsae and its newly isolated sister species, C. nigoni, as an attractive model system for research into molecular mechanisms of hybrid incompatibility.

Gene regulatory networks underlying cell fate determination during nematode embryogenesis

During C. elegans embryogenesis, the developmental potential of the fertilized egg is restricted in a stepwise manner following each cell division by differentially expressing a cohort of regulatory proteins. Together with the genetic and genomic tools, especially CHIP-Seq, we have been using automatic lineagingto dissect the gene regulatory network underlying the tissue/organ formation.

• Mechanism of postzygotic hybrid incompatibilities between nematode species
• Developmental dynamics of signaling pathways during nematode embryogenesis
• Gene regulatory networks underlying cell fate determination during nematode embryogenesis