Epigenetics and Zygote Formation
The formation of a diploid zygote from two highly different gametes is a critical aspect of sexual reproduction in animals. Notably, the transmission of the paternal genome implies unique chromatin reorganization events that take place during spermiogenesis and at fertilization. Our group studies these processes at the functional level using Drosophila melanogaster as main model organism, with a special interest in understanding the evolutionary forces at play during the delicate integration of the paternal genome in its new cellular environment.