Expérimental et théorique
Gene expression is known to be highly dynamic, often stochastically fluctuating between periods of quiescence and periods of pronounced transcriptionally activity (Tunnacliffe et al. 2020). To fully understand how patterns of gene expression are established and maintained during development, for instance, studies of in-vivo transcription kinetics are required. The goal of this internship is to combine of live-imaging and high-throughput single-molecule fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH; smFISH) in developing C. elegans larvae to perform quantitative measurements of transcriptional dynamics of miRNAs. We will achieve this using a microfluidic device that allows trapping and imaging up to 100 larvae simultaneously (Figure 1A). Once the device has been tested and optimized, the student will characterize gene expression using smFISH across several developmental timepoints and fit mathematical models of transcription to the data.