Caltech Logo
Stathopoulos Lab
Home  /  People  /  Current Lab Members  /  Zsuzsa Ákos

Zsuzsa Ákos

people

Sr Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in Biology and Biological Engineering

Research Summary
Cells interact with each other to form biological tissues and functional organs in the self-organizing process of embryonic development. Many cell types are able to form groups and migrate relatively large distances inside the embryo. They often migrate collectively, actively interacting with each other, and these interactions play an important part in shaping the group level behavior. Interestingly, a group that is moving collectively is often capable of navigating or spreading more efficiently than individual cells would do. I am investigating the spreading process of the migrating mesoderm in the developing Drosophila (fruit fly) embryo, which is an ideal system to investigate collective motion. I develop new methods for early cell labelling, collect individual cell tracking data using live imaging techniques, and develop analysis methods to detect the cellular level interactions. These methods are combined with molecular techniques to compare the spreading process in embryos with different genetic backgrounds. The overarching goal of this work is to understand what factors are important for an efficient spreading process propelled by actively interacting cells.

Publications

Sun, J., MacAbenta, F., Akos, Z., & Stathopoulos, A. (2020). Collective migrations of drosophila embryonic trunk and caudal mesoderm-derived muscle precursor cells. Genetics, 215(2), 297–322

Akos, Z., Isai, D. G., Rajasingh, S., Kosa, E., Ghazvini, S., Dhar, P., & Czirok, A. (2020). Viscoelastic Properties of ECM-Rich Embryonic Microenvironments. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 8(August), 1–9

Dunipace, L., Ákos, Z., & Stathopoulos, A. (2019). Coacting enhancers can have complementary functions within gene regulatory networks and promote canalization. PLOS Genetics, 15(12), e1008525

Smutny M, Ákos Zs, Grigolon S, Shamipour S, Ruprecht V, Čapek D, et al. (2017) Friction forces position the neural anlage. Nat Cell Bio, 19(4):306–172

Pettit B, Ákos Zs, Vicsek T, Biro D (2015) Speed Determines Leadership and Leadership Determines Learning during Pigeon Flocking. Current Biology, 25(23), 3132–3137

Ákos Zs, Beck R, Nagy M, Kubinyi E, Vicsek T. (2014) Leadership and path characteristics during walks are linked to dominance order and individual traits in dogs. PLOS Computational Biology 10 (1), e1003446

Flack A*, Ákos Zs*, Nagy M, Vicsek T, Biro D. (2013) Robustness of flight leadership relations in pigeons. Animal Behaviour 86, 732–732 [*co-first authors]

Ákos Zs, Nagy M, Leven S, Vicsek T. (2010) Thermal soaring flight of birds and UAVs. Bioinspir.Biomim. 5 (4)

Nagy M, Ákos Zs, Biro D, Vicsek T. (2010) Hierarchical group dynamics in pigeon flocks. Nature 464, 890–893

Ákos Zs, Nagy M, Vicsek T. (2008) Comparing bird and human soaring strategies. PNAS 105 (11), 4139–4143