Leila RiederAssistant Professor

Education

• B.A., Reed College, 2002
• M.A., Brown University, 2011
• Ph.D., Brown University, 2013

Research Area

• Genetics, Cell, and Developmental Biology

Graduate Program Affiliation

• Genetics and Molecular Biology

Research Lab Description

The nucleus is a crowded environment, yet a healthy cell accomplishes stunningly efficient gene regulation, in part due to elegant genome organization. One strategy the cell employs to orchestrate gene regulation is the formation of specialized domains within the nucleus, which concentrate genes and regulatory proteins to facilitate otherwise rare interactions.

Using a combination of classical genetics, biochemistry, microscopy, and modern genomics, we investigate nuclear domain formation and function using the important genetic model system Drosophila melanogaster.

Our research focuses on major questions, including:
What are key signals that organize domains?
When are domains initiated during development and how are they maintained?
How did domains evolve and how are they flexible?

While nuclear domains represent one level of genome organization, the efficient formation of these domains is critical for widespread gene regulation, development, and organism survival.

Publications