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Primary Faculty
Contact
- Department of Biology
- 229 Gilmer Hall
- 485 McCormick Road
- P.O. Box 400328
- Charlottesville, VA 22904
CLAIRE CRONMILLER
EDUCATION
RESEARCH INTERESTS
My research interests focus on understanding how complex sequences of differentiation are genetically regulated during development. My primary research uses Drosophila oogenesis as an experimental model fordiscovering basic genetic and cell biological mechanisms that shape multicellular tissues. My lab has taken several experimental approaches to study this process of morphogenesis. Genetically, we identified an extra-ovarian regulatory pathway that we have recently shown involves the function of a metalloprotease, which could be required to activate a long-range signaling molecule. Through a novel pharmacological approach, we uncovered the participation of neural signaling in both follicle formation and maturation. Our current work is aimed at elucidating specific molecular components of these pathways, as well as their biochemical/cellular functions. In addition to my study of tissue morphogenesis, I have established an ongoing collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. David Brautigan (UVA, Center for Cell Signaling) to pursue a related interest in the genetic control of cell division during development. In this work Drosophila genetics is being used to identify cellular functions of important vertebrate regulatory proteins.
REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS