Wunderlich Lab on Strikingly

RESEARCH

Regulatory DNA encodes the gene regulatory networks that are required for virtually every process in an a nimal, from development to immunity. The Wunderlich lab is interested in understanding how a gene regulatory network's tasks influence its architecture, robustness, and evolvability. To probe these questions, we use two model systems: the Drosophila early embryonic patterning system and the Drosophila innate immune response. In both systems, we pair imaging-based and genomic measurements of gene expression with statistical and physically-based computational models to explore questions of gene regulatory network function. We exploit naturally-occuring sequence variation between individuals and species as a tool to measure how changes in regulatory DNA affect transcriptional regulation.
OPPORTUNITIES
The Wunderlich lab is looking for enthusiastic students and post docs to join the lab.

Graduate Students
To join the lab, graduate students must apply and be accepted to of one of BU's graduate programs, e.g. the Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry, B iology, Bioinformatics, or BME programs. No direct admissions to the lab are possible.

Postdoctoral Fellows
Applicants interested in postdoctoral fellowship positions can send a CV and cover letter describing your previous research experience and future research interests, including why you are interested in the lab, to Zeba.

Undergraduate Students
Undergraduates interested in studies of gene regulation should contact Zeba to discuss possible projects.
PEOPLE

Zeba Wunderlich
Associate Professor
PhD, Biophysics, Harvard University
BA, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Statistics, Rutgers University
Lianne Cohen
Post-doctoral Fellow
PhD, Biology, UCSD
BS, Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University
Jillian Ness
PhD Student
BS, Biochemistry, MS, Biology, Purdue University
Noshin Nawar
PhD Student
BS, Bioengineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Julia Gibbs
PhD Student
BS, Biological Sciences; BA, English Literature, University of Pittsburgh
Christian Mei
BA/MS Student
Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Genetics
Emily Yang
PhD Student
BA, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Genetics, Boston University
Caitlin Sauer
Undergraduate Student
Health Science
Emma Rits
BA/MS Student
Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Genetics; Pure & Applied Mathematics
Yu Wang
Undergraduate Student
Biomedical Engineering
Victoria Guarino
PhD Student
BS, Biology
ALUMNI
Antonio Serrato-Capuchina, now an Assistant Professor of the Practice at Boston College
Sehjin Jo; Undergraduate Student/Lab Assistant, 2023-2024
Ishan Ranjan; Master's Student, 2023-2024
Francis Vu; Undergraduate Student, 2023-2024, now a student in BU's Biomedical Forensic Sciences program
Demi Ring, Undergraduate Student, 2023-2024
Jessie Wang; High School Student, Summer 2023
Kevin Cabrera, PhD; PhD Student, Developmental and Cell Biology, 2018-2023, now a lab manager/scientist at Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Olivia Gibson; Undergraduate Student, 2021-2022
Ila Rosen; Undergraduate Student, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Genetics, 2021-2022, now a genomics research assistant at Boston Children's Hospital
Bryan Ramirez-Corona, PhD; PhD Student, Developmental and Cell Biology, 2016-2021
Rachel Waymack, PhD; PhD Student, Developmental and Cell Biology, 2017-2021, now a research scientist at Sound Agriculture
Lily Li, PhD; PhD Student, Developmental and Cell Biology, 2015-2021, now a post-doc at UVA
Oluchi Ofoegbu; Undergraduate Student, 2019-2021, now a PhD student at USC
Aman Burji; Undergraduate Student, 2020-2021, now a MPH student at UCLA
Ariana Lee; Junior Specialist, 2020-2021, now a Master's student at CSU Long Beach
Duncan Hoard; Undergraduate Student, 2020-2021
Sima Tahmouresie; Undergraduate Student, 2020-2021, now a student at UC Berkeley School of Optometry
Vinay Kumar; Research Assistant, 2019-2020
Mario Gad; Junior Specialist, 2019-2020, now at UCSF School of Dentistry
Phoebe Cao; High School Student, Summer 2019, now an undergraduate at Emory University
Stephanie Fruth; Undergraduate Student, Public Health Sciences, 2017-2019, now at Thermo Fisher Scientific
Subhapradha Rangarajan; Research Assistant, 2017-2018, now at Western University of Health Sciences
Arash Abiri; Undergraduate Student, Biomedical Engineering, 2016-2017, now in UCI MD/PhD program
Flo Ramirez; Undergraduate Student, Genetics and Anthropology, 2015-2016, now at the Vincent J Coates Genomics Sequencing Lab at UC Berkeley
Punya Narayan; Masters Student, Biotechnology Management, 2016-2017, now at BD Biosciences
Marley Hilleger; Masters Student, Developmental and Cell Biology, 2015-2017, now at Eurofins
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
For an up-to-date and complete list of publications, see Google Scholar.

Drosophila immune priming to Enterococcus faecalis relies on immune tolerance rather than resistance
K Cabrera, DS Hoard, O Gibson, DI Martinez, Z Wunderlich. PLOS Pathogens. (2023).
Shadow enhancers mediate trade-offs between transcriptional noise and fidelity
A Fletcher, Z Wunderlich, G Enciso. PLOS Computational Biology. (2023).
Longitudinal monitoring of individual infection progress in Drosophila melanogaster
BA Ramirez-Corona, AC Love, S Chandrasekaran, JA Prescher, Z Wunderlich. iScience. (2022).
Molecular competition can shape enhancer activity in the Drosophila embryo
R Waymack, M Gad, Z Wunderlich. iScience. (2021).
Two promoters integrate multiple enhancer inputs to drive wild-type knirps expression in the D. melanogaster embryo
L Li, R Waymack, M Gad, Z Wunderlich. Genetics. (2021).
The mode of expression divergence in Drosophila fat body is infection-specific
BA Ramirez-Corona, SM Fruth, O Ofoegbu, Z Wunderlich. Genome Research. (2021).
Enhancer redundancy in development and disease
EZ Kvon, R Waymack, M Gad, Z Wunderlich. Nature Reviews Genetics. (2021).
A mutation in the Drosophila melanogaster eve stripe 2 minimal enhancer is buffered by flanking sequences
F Lopez-Rivera, OK Foster, BJ Vincent, ECG Pym, MDJ Bragdon, J Estrada, AH DePace, Z Wunderlich. G3. (2020).
Shadow enhancers can suppress input transcription factor noise through distinct regulatory logic
R Waymack, A Fletcher, G Enciso, Z Wunderlich. eLife. (2020).
An enhancer's length and composition are shaped by its regulatory task
L Li, Z Wunderlich. Frontiers in Genetics. (2017).
Selected older works:
Z Wunderlich, M DJ Bragdon, BJ Vincent, JA White, J Estrada, AH DePace. Krüppel Expression Levels Are Maintained through Compensatory Evolution of Shadow Enhancers. Cell Reports. (2015).

Z Wunderlich, MD Bragdon, K Eckenrode, T Martin, S Pearl, and AH DePace. Dissecting sources of quantitative gene expression pattern divergence between Drosophila species. Molecular Systems Biology. (2012).

Z Wunderlich, AH DePace. Modeling transcriptional networks in Drosophila development at multiple scales. Current Opinion in Genetics and Development. (2011).

Z Wunderlich, LA Mirny. Different gene regulation strategies revealed by analysis of binding motifs. Trends in Genetics. (2009).

Z Wunderlich, LA Mirny. Using genome-wide measurements for computational prediction of SH2-peptide interactions. Nucleic Acids Research. (2009).

Z Wunderlich, LA Mirny. Spatial effects on the speed and reliability of protein-DNA search. Nucleic Acids Research. (2008).

G Kolesov*, Z Wunderlich*, ON Laikova, MS Gelfand, LA Mirny. How gene order is influenced by the biophysics of transcription regulation. PNAS. (2007).

Z Wunderlich and LA Mirny. Using topology of the metabolic network to predict viability of mutant strains. Biophysical Journal. (2006).
CONTACT US

Email

zeba[at]bu[dot]edu
Call

617-353-3833
Write

Lab: Room 621
Office: Room 605B
610 Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA 02215
Visit

Directions to campus are here.

RESEARCH

OPPORTUNITIES

PEOPLE

Zeba Wunderlich

Associate Professor

Lianne Cohen

Post-doctoral Fellow

Jillian Ness

PhD Student

Noshin Nawar

PhD Student

Julia Gibbs

PhD Student

Christian Mei

BA/MS Student

Emily Yang

PhD Student

Caitlin Sauer

Undergraduate Student

Emma Rits

BA/MS Student

Yu Wang

Undergraduate Student

Victoria Guarino

PhD Student

ALUMNI

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

For an up-to-date and complete list of publications, see Google Scholar.

Drosophila immune priming to Enterococcus faecalis relies on immune tolerance rather than resistance

Shadow enhancers mediate trade-offs between transcriptional noise and fidelity

Longitudinal monitoring of individual infection progress in Drosophila melanogaster

Molecular competition can shape enhancer activity in the Drosophila embryo

Two promoters integrate multiple enhancer inputs to drive wild-type knirps expression in the D. melanogaster embryo

The mode of expression divergence in Drosophila fat body is infection-specific

Enhancer redundancy in development and disease

A mutation in the Drosophila melanogaster eve stripe 2 minimal enhancer is buffered by flanking sequences

Shadow enhancers can suppress input transcription factor noise through distinct regulatory logic

An enhancer's length and composition are shaped by its regulatory task

Selected older works:

CONTACT US