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The Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute can now be found at www.goodmancancer.ca
Paul Lasko
Academic title(s):
Department of Biology, McGill University
Associate Member, Goodman Cancer Research Centre
Link(s):
Selected publications:
Current research:
The Lasko Lab's research is focused on oogenesis and pole plasm assembly using the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, a.k.a. the fruit fly. Oogenesis is the process by which an egg is formed and matures. Pole plasm assembly is necessary for the formation of germ cells, immortal cells that are needed for gonad formation, which are necessary for sexual reproduction. There have been many successful genetic screens to identify genes necessary for oogenesis and pole plasm assembly and many of our projects are based on studying genes found in these screens.
Drosophila oogenesis provides an excellent system to study processes conserved in many different metazoan species. Such processes include translational control and RNA localization. Pole plasm assembly also provides insight on the formation of stem cells.
Selected Publications:
Kilfoil M, Lasko P, and Abouheif E. 2009. Stochastic variation: from single cells to superorganisms. HFSP Journal 1(1): doi:10.2976/1.3223356
Stein, D. and Lasko, P. (2008) The 30th Anniversary Crete Fly Meeting: from individual molecules to 12 genomes, and beyond. Fly 2: 326-333.
Dansereau, D. A., and Lasko, P. (2008) An isoform of RanBPM regulates cell shape, arrangement and capacity of the female germline stem cell niche in Drosophila. J. Cell Biol. 182: 963-977.
Thomson, T., Liu, N., Arkov, A., Lehmann, R., and Lasko, P. (2008) Isolation of new polar granule components in Drosophila reveals P body and ER associated proteins. Mech. Dev. 125: 865-873.
Hanyu-Nakamura, K., Sonobe, H., Tanigawa, A., Lasko, P., and Nakamura, A. (2008) Drosophila polar granule component encodes a small protein that acts as a germ cell specific P-TEFb inhibitor. Nature 451: 730-733.