Heald

Our lab uses interdisciplinary approaches to investigate the mechanisms underlying spindle assembly, chromosome condensation, and biological size control. We take advantage of cytoplasmic extracts prepared from eggs of the frog Xenopus laevis, which allow us to reconstitute mitotic processes such as spindle formation and chromosome condensation in vitro. To explore interspecies scaling mechanisms, we leverage the smaller, related frog Xenopus tropicalis. Additionally, by preparing extracts from fertilized eggs at various stages of embryogenesis, we examine how these processes are regulated during development. Through these systems, we aim to uncover fundamental principles of spindle and organelle size control, and to understand how molecular variation drives genomic instability and evolutionary change.