How does cell size control cell fate? - studying cell fate specification in the developing nervous system

• Funding – BBSRC funded 4 year studentship, providing tuition fees, training/research costs and an annual stipend at the UKRI rate, currently £21,805
• Start Date – September 2027
• Applicants are expected to have a degree (equivalent of Honours or Masters) in a relevant discipline

We all have started as a single cell, the egg, yet our bodies consist of hundreds of different cell types. This raises the question of how this cell type diversity is established. In this project you will study asymmetric cell division1, a process in which a single division generates two cells of different types. Stem cells are a cell type that can divide asymmetrically, which is often observed during the development of the nervous system. This division generates a stem cell that therefore has ‘self-renewed’ and simultaneously another cell that will adopt a different cell fate. There is an astonishing similarity between the regulatory mechanism controlling neural stem cell behaviour observed in flies and humans2. Therefore, much of our knowledge about the mechanisms underpinning neural stem cell regulation comes from invertebrate model systems that are genetically tractable and easier to study. Furthermore, failed asymmetric stem cell division has also linked to tumorigenesis3. Thus, asymmetric stem cell division safeguards against uncontrolled growth motivating the desire to understand how asymmetric cell division functions.

You will use Drosophila neural stem cells to study the mechanism of cell fate specification. In these stem cells, cell polarity drives the unequal distribution of molecules at the membrane, such that upon division each cell receives a different set of molecules4. Ultimately the molecules need to segregate to the correct cells at anaphase and telophase, however, the molecular mechanism of how this works is not clear.

You will study how the different molecules achieve an asymmetric localisation. Using a fast range of methodology including genetics, chemical genetics, CrispR, state-of-the-art confocal laser scanning microscopy, image analysis and mass spectrometry you will investigate the molecular mechanism of asymmetric neural stem cell     division in Drosophila and focus in particular on the role of cell size in cell fate specification5.

In the last Research Excellence Framework 2021, Dundee University was ranked the top university in the UK for Biological Sciences. You will join the Faculty of Life Sciences, a vibrant research environment. The host lab has a track record of genetics, chemical genetics, 4D imaging and image analysis. The secondary supervisor has complementary expertise in biochemistry, biophysics and structural biology. Therefore, in this project you will gain knowledge and a wide range of skills applicable to any other discipline in biological sciences.

References

1 Gallaud et al. 2017 PMID:28409305

2 Brand et al. 2011 PMID:21609827

3 Gonzalez 2007 PMID:17510666

4 Loyer et al. 2020 PMID:31698250

5 Boyer et al. 2026 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.08.750127v1.article-metrics

Our research community thrives on the diversity of students and staff which helps to make the University of Dundee a UK university of choice for postgraduate research.  We welcome applications from all talented individuals and are committed to widening access to those who have the ability and potential to benefit from higher education