Orr-Weaver Laboratory

The research goal is to delineate the control of DNA replication and chromosome segregation, fundamental aspects of cell proliferation. We want to understand how cell proliferation is coordinated with development in multicellular organisms. To investigate the interface between cell cycle and development we are using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model. Drosophila utilizes variant cell cycles to facilitate particular developmental demands, a strategy used by a large number of organisms. An abbreviated cell cycle permits rapid embryogenesis, and high levels of gene expression are achieved by producing polyploid or polytene cells. In addition to these intriguing aspects of cell cycle regulation, Drosophila has technical advantages that facilitate analysis of DNA replication and chromosome segregation. Mutants can be recovered and their defects precisely defined, in large part because replication origins, chromosomal proteins, and chromosome segregation can be visualized directly.