Ruth Lehmann

Research centers on the mechanisms of cell asymmetry and migration. Using Drosophila as a model system, Dr. Lehmann contributed to the present understanding of how polarity is established in the egg. She showed that localization of maternally synthesized products to one pole of the developing egg directs the development of the germ line and orients the body axis of the embryo. Her research demonstrated that localization of RNA is a mechanism of spatially restricting protein synthesis within a single cell. More recently Dr. Lehmann's research has focused on the spatial signals and integration of guidance cues that direct the migration of primordial germ cells, which will give rise to egg and sperm.