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  • Research
  • Opportunities
  • People
  • Alumni
  • Publications
  • Contact
  • RESEARCH

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    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

    Graduate students must be part of one of BU's graduate programs, e.g. the Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Biology, Bioinformatics, or BME programs.

     

    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

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    Zeba Wunderlich

    Associate Professor

    PhD, Biophysics, Harvard University

    BA, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Statistics, Rutgers University

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    Lianne Cohen

    Post-doctoral Fellow

    PhD, Biology, UCSD

    BS, Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University

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    Jillian Ness

    PhD Student

    BS, Biochemistry, MS, Biology, Purdue University

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    Noshin Nawar

    PhD Student

    BS, Bioengineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

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    Julia Gibbs

    PhD Student

    BS, Biological Sciences; BA, English Literature, University of Pittsburgh

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    Antonio Serrato-Capuchina

    Post-doctoral Fellow

    PhD, Ecology and Evolution of Organismal Biology; BS, Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

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    Christian Mei

    Undergraduate Student

    Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Genetics

    Demi Ring

    Undergraduate Student

    Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Genetics

    Emily Yang

    PhD Student

    BA, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Genetics, Boston University

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    Sehjin Jo

    Lab Assistant

    Neurobiology

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    Ishan Ranjan

    Masters Student

    BS, Bioengineering/Bioinformatics, UCSD

    Francis Vu

    Undergraduate Student

    Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Genetics

    Caitlin Sauer

    Undergraduate Student

    Health Science

    Emma Rits

    BA/MS Student

    Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Genetics

  • ALUMNI

    • 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
    • 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

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    Email

     

    zeba[at]bu[dot]edu

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    Call

     

    617-353-3833

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    Write

     

    Lab: Room 621

    Office: Room 605B

    610 Commonwealth Ave.

    Boston, MA 02215

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    Visit

     

    Directions to campus are here.

     

Boston University / Department of Biology / Biological Design Center

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