Carl Hashimoto, PhD

My laboratory’s original interest was in the molecular mechanism used to establish the dorsoventral axis of the Drosophila embryo. We sought to understand how a protease cascade that triggers dorsoventral patterning is only activated on the prospective ventral side of the embryo. Among our findings, we identified a serpin (serine protease inhibitor) that plays an essential role in ventrally restricting the protease cascade. We then studied proteases and serpins functioning in Drosophila innate immunity as part of a broader interest in biological processes regulated by proteolysis.