Kian Naini L&S Biological Sciences
Predicting Embryonic Patterns and Modeling Single-Cell Dynamics
In Drosophila fly embryos, gene regulatory networks relay spatiotemporal information, forming patterns that shape the adult organism. The goal of my research is to establish a quantitative, model-based view of the development of these embryos. Although embryo-wide models of pattern formation provide important insight, embryonic cells make decisions based on local cues without knowing global concentrations, and single-cell responses to real-time neighboring environments remain largely unexplored. Building on a previously established model in the field, I aim to investigate what factors can explain the reduced variability observed in protein patterns compared to mRNA patterns, independent of the gene. Previous studies have only tested this model in fixed embryos, where patterns are measured at time segments rather than continuously throughout time. With the resources my faculty mentor can provide, I hope to explore the model in live embryos to account for all timepoints. The main questions of my research are, “What are some ways that the embryo mitigates noisy transcriptional signals in single cells?”, and “How effective are the processes of the central dogma at reducing noise?”.
Message To Sponsor
Thank you so much for your support of my summer research project! I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to conduct research here at UC Berkeley and potentially contribute to our understanding of embryonic development. I am looking forward to developing my interest in biological sciences and physics.