Role of condensates in biological time across mammals (B4)

The goal of of B4 is to characterize the diversity of condensates across animal species and to elucidate how these differences contribute to species-specific kinetics and developmental tempo.

Different animal species exhibit distinct biological tempos. For instance, human gestation takes about 9 months, whereas in mice it lasts only around 20 days. The Ebisuya group investigates these species-specific tempos using the “stem cell zoo,” a collection of mammalian stem cell lines, and has demonstrated that cellular environments differ across species. The Hyman group focuses on the physical properties of biomolecular condensates both in vitro and in cells. In collaboration, the groups recently found that the morphology of several condensates involved in gene expression processes differs between species. A key open question is whether such species-specific condensate properties influence biochemical reaction kinetics and thereby contribute to differences in biological tempo. Project B4 aims to address this fundamental question by systematically measuring the kinetics of condensates and associated cellular processes.

1. How do the kinetics and morphology of condensates vary across species?
2. What are the underlying mechanisms that give rise to these species-specific condensate properties?
3. Do such differential condensate properties contribute to species-specific cellular kinetics and biological tempo?

Quantitative characterization of condensates and gene expression kinetics across species

The student and postdoctoral researcher will receive training in cell and stem cell biology, advanced imaging and image analysis, as well as biophysical and biochemical approaches.

• Student candidates should hold a Master’s degree in biology, physics, or a related field. Candidates are expected to have hands-on experience with laboratory experiments; prior experience with cell cultures and/or imaging is a plus.
• Postdoc candidates should hold a PhD degree in physics, biology, engineering, or a related field. Candidates should have a strong background in quantitative imaging and analysis; prior experience with single-molecule imaging and/or theoretical aspects of condensate dynamics is highly desirable. In addition, the postdoc candidates are expected to actively collaborate with and provide support to students in the RTG group.

We are currently recruiting the first cohort of motivated doctoral candidates to join our research training group “RTG 3120 Biomolecular Condensates”. If you are a potential applicant, register and complete the following form . If you have questions about the research topic, then email the project supervisor >