Research interests:
As part of DeBaRUn (Development, Bioengineering & Reproduction Unit) Lab’s research, we seek to understand the male germline development or in simple terms, how sperm cells are born. We emphasize on the questions related to how male gametes develop in fetal gonad, how they remain quiescent during pre-puberty, and how they both self-renew and differentiate to obtain the mature, fertile form in adulthood across diverse patient populations. Answering these questions will provide us with criteria for selecting the epigenetically and physiologically fittest cells for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) that are tailored to each individual patient. We apply single-cell genomics, microfluidic engineering, biochemical and embryological testing, and machine learning to track germline lineages and develop patient-specific, noninvasive biomarker panels for selecting fertile sperm to improve ART outcomes.
Our core expertise includes:
- Single-cell transcriptomics of spermatogenesis: Profiling stage-specific gene expression and transcriptional regulation (including RNA Polymerase II pausing) during mammalian male germ cell development.
- Germ cell biology & transplantation: Analysis of fetal and adult germline lineage progression and cell population dynamics.
- Sperm guidance & selection mechanisms: Specialized in sperm thermotaxis, the role of opsins (rhodopsin/melanopsin) in thermos-sensory signaling, and the development of microfluidic devices for functional sperm selection.
- Non-coding RNA (ncRNA) biomarker discovery: Investigating the roles of miRNAs, piRNAs, tRNA fragments, and long non-coding RNAs in sperm competence and early embryogenesis.
Recent Publications
- Rete ridges form through evolutionary distinct mechanisms from other appendages during mammalian skin development. Thompson, S., … Jordan, Z., Roy, D., Salmon, A., Slayden, Ov D., Hermann, B., …, Driskell, R. Nature (Accepted)
- Brandis, A.*, Roy, D.*, Das, I., Mordechai, S., & Eisenbach, M. (2024). Uncommon opsin’s retinal isomer is involved in mammalian sperm thermotaxis. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 10699. (Joint first author)
- Kaye, E. G., Basavaraju, K., Nelson, G. M., Zomer, H. D., Roy, D., Joseph, I. I., Rajabi-Toustani, R., Qiao, H., Adelman, K., & Reddi, P. P. (2024). RNA polymerase II pausing is essential during spermatogenesis for appropriate gene expression and completion of meiosis. Nature Communications, 15(1), 848.
- Roy, D., Levi, K., Kiss, V., Nevo, R., & Eisenbach, M. (2020). Rhodopsin and melanopsin coexist in mammalian sperm cells and activate different signaling pathways for thermotaxis. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 112.
Recent Presentation
- “Temporospatial asynchrony in marmoset male germline development.” Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Conference: Germ Cells, October 2024.
Vision
Our goal is to create a research program with a focus on sperm biology, germline genomics, and clinical embryology that develops diagnostic tools and clinical protocols to enhance the success in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and honor the legacy of Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay.