Dr. Lynn Boyd
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Research Areas
Research Description
In our lab, we use the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, as a model system to study early embryogenesis and the ubiquitin pathway. C. elegans is the first animal to have its entire genome sequenced and we take advantage of this sequence information to provide us with knowledge of the genes in the organism. We are able to test the function of specific genes using the method of RNAi to knock out genes. In addition, we study the expression and localization of specific genes by using the Green Fluorescent Protein to tag specific proteins.
Selected Publications
R. Suessmann, C. Hajjar, P. Pandey, K. Caldwell, G. Caldwell, and L. Boyd (2006) Ubiquitin conjugating enzymes affect polyglutamine protein aggregation (manuscript in preparation)
Y. Hao, L. Boyd, and G. Seydoux . 2006. Stabilization of cell polarity by the C. elegans RING protein PAR-2. Dev Cell. 10(2):199-208.
M. Gudgen, A. Chandrasekaran, T. Frazier, and L. Boyd (2004) Interactions within the ubiquitin pathway of Caenorhabditis elegans. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 325 pp. 479–486. [pdf]
T. Frazier, D. Shakes, U. Hota, and L. Boyd (2004) C. elegans UBC-2 functions with the Anaphase Promoting Complex and has other non-APC related activities. Journal of Cell Science 117, pp. 5427-5435. http://jcs.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/117/22/5427
L. Boyd, S. Guo, D. Levitan, D. Stinchcomb, and K.J. Kemphues (1996).
"PAR-2 is asymmetrically distributed and promotes the association of P granules and PAR-1 with the cortex in C. elegans embryos", Development, 122, pp. 3075-3084.
[ABSTRACT][PDF]
J.L. Watts, B. Etemad-Moghadam, S. Guo, L. Boyd, B.W. Draper, C.C. Mello, J.R. Priess, and K.J. Kemphues (1996). "par-6, a gene involved in the
establishment of asymmetry in early C. elegnas embryos, mediates the asymmetric localization of PAR-3", Develoment 122, pp. 3133-3140.
[ABSTRACT][PDF]
D.J. Levitan, L. Boyd, C.C. Mello, K.J. Kemphues, and D.T. Stinchcomb (1994).
"par-2, a gene required for blastomere asymmetry in Caenorhabditis elegans, encodes zinc-finger and ATP-binding motifs", Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 91, pp. 6108-6112.
[ABSTRACT] [PDF]
L. Boyd and C.S. Thummel (1993). "Selection of CUG and AUG codons for Drosophila E74A translation depends on downstream sequences", Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 90, pp. 9164-9167. [ABSTRACT] [PDF]
L. Boyd, E. O'Toole, and C.S. Thummel (1991). "Patterns of E74A RNA and protein expression at the onset of metamorphosis in Drosophila", Development 112, pp. 981-995. [ABSTRACT]
