SzSA YearBook 2016/17

SZENT-GYÖRGYI MENTORS
JÁNOS SZABAD
Department of Biology,
University of Szeged
Address: Somogyi u. 4., H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
E: szabad.janos@med.u-szeged.hu
T: +36 62/545-131
RESEARCH AREA
It has been quite well known that genes govern ontogenesis.
Many of these genes do it through maternal effect:
their products - mRNA and/or protein molecules - are present
in the cytoplasm of the egg cells and persist in the
zygotes to determine the initial steps of embryogenesis.
Obviously, in absence of any of the maternal effect gene
function the zygotes die and the females are sterile. Which
are the maternal effect genes? What are their functions?
How do they govern early embryogenesis? To answer these
questions our group made use of the fruit fly (Drosophila
melanogaster), one of the model species in developmental
biology research. We generated mutations that prevent
the commencement of embryogenesis. By making use as
„tools” of the mutations we got to understand the molecular
function of a number of the normal genes. Combining
the techniques of „genetic dissection” with molecular, cell
and developmental biology our laboratory discovered novel
features of nuclear protein import, formation of the nuclear
envelope, functions of the microtubules as well as chromosome
segregation and unwinding at the end of mitosis.
We also developed genetic-based techniques that allow the
detection of environmental agents to induce point mutations,
chromosome breakages and abnormal chromosome
segregation.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Szikora, S., Gáspár, I., Szabad, J. (2013) Poking microtubules
bring about nuclear wriggling to position nuclei. J Cell Sci
126: 254-262.
Szabad, J., Bellen, H.J. and Venken, K.J.T. (2012) An assay to
detect in vivo Y chromosome loss in Drosophila wing disc
cells. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics 2: 1095-1102.
Villányi, Z., Gáspár, I., Szikora, S., Puskás, L.G., Szabad, J.
(2011) Importin-β and peroxiredoxin-6005 are involved in
mitochondrial biogenesis. Mech Dev 128: 191-199.
Szabad, J. (2010) Putting together rather than taking apart.
EMBO Reports 11: 904-906.
Szalontai T., Gáspár I., Belecz I., Kerekes I., Erdélyi M., Boros
M., Szabad J. (2009) Horka, a chromosome instability-causing
mutation in Drosophila, is a dominant-negative allele
of lodestar. Genetics 181: 367-377.
TECHNIQUES AVAILABLE IN THE LAB
The technical repertoire of our laboratory includes (or better
to say used to include) Drosophila genetics, molecular
cloning, the generation of transgenic Drosophila lines,
construction of germ-line and ovarian chimeras (through
the transplantation of cells or larval ovaries), fluorescent-illumination
of different cell components, confocal microscopy
and image processing.
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