B5: Functions of cytoskeletal filaments in mammalian oocyte division
Lead PI: Melina Schuh
Collaborating PIs: Timo Betz, Andreas Janshoff, Sarah Köster, Peter Lénárt
Overarching research question: How do cytoskeletal structures drive oocyte meiosis?
Meiosis, the process forming eggs and sperm, remains poorly understood despite its critical role in fertility and its link to age-related infertility and pregnancy loss. Many essential steps in meiosis are controlled by cytoskeletal structures. This project aims to discover new functions for cytoskeletal assemblies in oocytes and will shed light on how defects in cytoskeletal organisation leads to infertility. We use several innovative approaches to unravel the fundamental principles of meiosis, including advanced microscopy techniques (such as super-resolution, light-sheet and expansion microscopy), loss-of-function approaches (trim-away, RNAi in cultured follicles and mouse genetics), and in vitro ovarian culture and sequencing (including single-cell RNA-seq). We work with mouse, human, bovine and porcine oocytes.
Core field: cell biology
PhD training objectives: molecular biology techniques (cloning, mRNA synthesis); microinjection of oocytes; oocyte culture; microscopy methods (light sheet microscopy, confocal live microscopy, STED, AiryScan microscopy, expansion microscopy); biophysical methods (optical tweezers; laser microdissection).