Melissa M Witzberger

Melissa M Witzberger, B.A.

(Ph.D. in progress)
  • Position:
    Graduate Student - Ph.D.

    Biological Sciences

    Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA)

  •  
  • Advisor:

    Jonathan S. Minden

  •  
  • Degrees:
     
    Ph.D. (in progress), Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA)
     
    B.A., Biochemistry, Washington & Jefferson College (Washington, PA)
  •  
  • Past Advisors:
     
    Ron Bayline (as Undergraduate Student)
  •  
  • Research:
    I am studying the connections between the molecules driving cell fate and cell shape changes.

    Gastrulation is composed of several morphogenetic events that require coordinated cell shape changes to generate the embryonic germ layers. Our lab uses ventral furrow formation (VFF) as a model to study these developmentally-regulated cell-shape changes. VFF is the first morphogenetic step in Drosophila gastrulation, where the ventral-most cells change their shape to drive the invagination to form the mesoderm. VFF cell-shape changes are highly dynamic and take place along the apicobasal axis of the cells. To observe these shape changes from the optimal perspective, I have developed a technique to capture time-lapse images of transversely mounted embryos, called “end-on imaging.” This technique will be used for my future studies in dissecting the interactions between the proteins specifying cell fate and the proteins actively involved in changing the cell’s shape.

  •  
  • Other Experience:

    2007-present Cofounder, Sciences Teaching Club

  •  
  • Honors:

    2007 • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention

Life Sciences
Communities:

Melissa Witzberger's Genealogy

The Adobe Flash Player plugin (version 8) is required to view the genealogy tree.
Download the plugin here.


Melissa Witzberger's Publications (1)



Melissa Witzberger's Posters and Presentations (2)

  • End-on imaging provides a different perspective on Drosophila dorsoventral development (poster)

    M M Witzberger, J A J Fitzpatrick, J C Crowley, J S Minden

    Drosophila Research Conference, 50th Annual Meeting; 03/2009
  • Regulation of Twinstar (Drosophila cofilin) Phosphorylation by LIMK1 and Slingshot is Required for Drosophila Ventral Furrow Morphogenesis (poster)

    A Goyal, M M Witzberger, S R Dowd, J Minden

    American Society for Cell Biology, 48th Annual Meeting; 12/2008

One Figure

One Figure for Melissa M Witzberger

Time-lapse images of cellularization and ventral furrow formation from an end-on imaging session using Drosophila embryos expressing sqh-GFP (myosin regulatory light chain, spaghetti squash).


Websites


Join Epernicus (membership is free)
Epernicus is open to current and former research scientists.
First name:
Last name:
Email:

(we don't share your email)

Already a member?
Sign in to view Melissa's full profile.