Markus Affolter

This paper develops fluorescent protein binders for cell type-specific visualization of endogenous proteins, showing improved signal-to-noise ratio and application in multiple organisms.

The paper identifies cis-regulatory elements controlling apterous expression during Drosophila wing compartment boundary formation using CRISPR interference and mutational analysis.

The paper identifies and functionally characterizes a novel cis-regulatory element, apLSE, essential for hindgut morphogenesis and adult survival in Drosophila melanogaster.

The paper identifies an AmotL2-Yap1 module that regulates vascular pruning by integrating flow and junctional mechanics in zebrafish.

This study identifies Shf as a lipid-shielding protein that facilitates cell-to-cell transport of Hedgehog morphogen via cytonemes.

This paper develops a light-inducible method to phosphorylate endogenous Myosin and shows it disrupts cytoskeletal dynamics in Drosophila embryos.

This study shows that in Drosophila, feeding initiation depends on partial meconium excretion, revealing a gut-to-brain signaling circuit linking intestinal clearance and feeding behavior.

This study identifies Rasip1's role in regulating actomyosin contractility to initiate lumen formation from junctions in zebrafish.

The paper investigates the formation and function of BMP heterodimers in Drosophila, showing they are essential for signaling and wing development.

The paper introduces next-generation transgenesis tools for zebrafish and other species, including vectors with fluorescent markers and promoters for specific tissue expression.

The paper develops engineered kinases to specifically phosphorylate fluorescent protein fusions in vivo, demonstrating their use in studying actomyosin activation in Drosophila embryos.

The paper introduces SEED/Harvest, a CRISPR-based method for efficient and controlled knock-in generation in multicellular animals, enabling seamless cassette removal and spatio-temporal protein labeling.

The paper shows that Dpp/BMP morphogen dispersal is not strictly required for overall wing patterning and growth in Drosophila, challenging a long-standing dogma.

This study investigates the role of Rasip1 in endothelial cell behaviors during angiogenesis and anastomosis in zebrafish, revealing its critical function in cell pairing and junction stability.

The paper shows that boundaries in Drosophila BX-C both block crosstalk between regulatory domains and actively facilitate long-distance communication between domains and their target genes.

The paper compares branching and anastomosis processes in Drosophila trachea and vertebrate vasculature, highlighting similarities and differences in cell behavior during network formation.

The paper identifies junction-based lamellipodia (JBL) as structures driving endothelial cell movement during vascular remodeling, showing their dependence on F-actin and VE-cadherin.

This study shows that Myosin II is not required for tracheal branching in Drosophila, as tip cell migration drives elongation and intercalation independently of MyoII.

The paper introduces a nanobody-based toolset, GrabFP, to manipulate protein localization and dispersal in Drosophila cells and demonstrates its use in studying Dpp protein gradient formation.