cbc scholars bios
Justin Cassidy
CBC Scholar: Class of 2010
Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology, NU; Advisor: Richard Carthew
Email:
CARTHEW LAB WEBPAGE
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
My interests focus on the mechanisms of natural selection. To this end, in Carthew's lab we have been breeding only the hairiest or baldest fruit flies for 15 generations. Over 50 years ago similar experiments demonstrated that, indeed hairier and balder flies arise from such artificial natural selection. The genetic factors limiting the rate of evolution in these populations remain unknown. We hypothesized that a class of gene silencers called ‘microRNAs’ might play a major role in such evolutionary processes. These small RNAs could buffer the deleterious effects of novel genetic combination that rise in animal population. This could allow new phenotypes to arise much more quickly. To test this idea, our selection experiment included some animals lacking specific microRNAs and some with microRNAs. The quantitative analysis comparing the rate of evolution within these populationsis in progress.
PUBLICATIONS:
Lee YS, Pressman S, Andress AP, Kim K, White JL, Cassidy JJ, Li X, Lubell K, Lim do H, Cho IS, Nakahara K, Preall JB, Bellare P, Sontheimer EJ, Carthew RW. Silencing by small RNAs is linked to endosomal trafficking. Nat Cell Biol. 2009 Sep;11(9):1150-6. (PubMed)
Li X, Cassidy JJ, Reinke CA, Fischboeck S, Carthew RW. A microRNA imparts robustness against environmental fluctuation during development. Cell. 2009 Apr 17;137(2):273-82. (PubMed)
AWARDS:
- Judge, Chicago Public Schools Student Science Fair, March 2012
- Rappaport Award for Research Excellence, September 2010
- Science in Society 2010 Scientific Images Contest, 4th place, September 2010
- CBC Scholar 2010
(back to CBC Scholars overview)