Research

Our laboratory explores the fundamental design principles governing molecular circuits at the multicellular level. We aim to learn how organisms maintain robustness within an environment yet remain plastic across different environments.

Our current research focuses on :

1. how the robustness of development emerges from the communication between cells, and

2. how phenotypic plasticity optimzes performance under starvation.

We employ a combination of quantitative experiments and computational approaches, using the nematode C. elegans as our model organism. Our technical strengths lie in in quantitative live imaging and computational image analysis, high-throughput screens, and in the precise spatio-temporal perturbation of molecular circuits.

We value interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration to create new opportunities at the interface of disciplines.

Current Research Focus

1. Developmental Robustness: Orchestrating Cellular Growth

Key Question: How do an animal's cells coordinate their growth to consistently produce an appropriate body plan?

During development, organs grow exponentially by orders of magnitude. Therefore, small fluctuations in the growth rate can, in principle, amplify to significant size discrepancies. Yet, in nature, organ proportions are remarkably consistent across individuals. We investigate the molecular mechanisms that coordinate growth across different organs and thereby ensure this robustness.

Growth of individual animals

Individuals of C. elegans were imaged every 10 minutes throughout their development and computationally straightened. green marks the pharynx, red the total body. Our research asks how fluctuations in organ growth rates are correted to nevertheless yield robust body plan proportions.

References:

2023, Nature Communications

Maintenance of appropriate size scaling of the C. elegans pharynx by YAP-1

Klement Stojanovski, Ioana Gheorghe, Peter Lenart, Anne Lanjuin, William B Mair, Benjamin D Towbin

2022, Nature Communications

Coupling of growth rate and developmental tempo reduces body size heterogeneity in C. elegans

Klement Stojanovski, Helge Großhans & Benjamin D. Towbin

2. Developmental Plasticity: Thriving under Nutritional Fluctuations

Key Question: How do animals optimize their fitness in response to changing nutritional conditions?

Animals must navigate environments where food availability fluctuates. This requires a delicate balance between rapid growth during abundance and survival during scarcity. We investigate the molecular mechanisms that sense nutritional cues, how they alter gene expression, and how this regulation ultimately impacts organism-scale phenotypes, such as growth, reproduction, and aging. We thereby thrive to understand the molecular underpinnings of tradeoffs between these fundamental life history traits and how animals navigate these tradeoffs to make the best out of their environment.

Together, we aim to learn how organisms maintain robustness within an environment yet remain plastic across different environments.

Individuals of C. elegans growing in arrayed of micro chambers.

References:

2024, bioRxiv

Selective autophagy of ribosomes balances a tradeoff between starvation survival and growth resumption

Joel Tuomaala, Devanarayanan Siva Sankar, Julie Perey, Sacha Psalmon, Nicholas Stroustrup, Joern Dengjel, Benjamin D. Towbin