We are generally interested in spatial control of the microtubule cytoskeleton, and how this applies to the events necessary for mitosis and cell division. In particular we are interested in problems of size and shape.  What sets the length of a mitotic spindle?  Why is a spindle precisely positioned in a cell?  Why do two cortical domains form of a certain size?  Two technical steps forward have revolutionized the study of these problems in the last ten years.  One is the development of genomics techniques, including RNA interference, and BAC transgenesis.  The other is the contribution of physics to understanding biology. In our lab, and in collaboration with the labs of Joe Howard, Stephan Grill and Frank Buchholz at the CBG, we combine these approaches to study the following

a) Mitotic spindle assembly and function, focusing on centrosomes.
b) Distribution of force generating mechanisms necessary for the first asymmetric division.
c) Establishment of cortical polarity.

We primarily work in C.elegans embryos, but we are also studying aspects of these problems in Human cells, using the emerging techniques of BAC transgenesis.

For further information also visit our lab-homepage at http://hymanlab.mpi-cbg.de/hyman_lab/.