# My research

> I study how gene expression is controlled in early development, at chromatin and through mRNA–protein condensates, and how metabolism and behaviour connect to…

Source: https://khushisingh.in/research/
Author: Khushi Singh (khushisingh.in). Licence: CC BY 4.0 for text and original illustrations, unless a credit says otherwise.
Evidence labels used on this site: established, strong evidence, emerging, hypothesis, debated. Where a page has Simple, Curious and Expert versions, all three follow.

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Research

I study how gene expression is controlled in early development, at chromatin and through mRNA–protein condensates, and how metabolism and behaviour connect to it. My projects span molecules, organelles, embryos and whole animals.

Research topics

## 7 projects, from molecules to behaviour

Choose a project to read the question, the approach and the background.

1. [GenerationsOngoingMicrobes, lactate and inheritanceCan lactate made by gut bacteria reach a mother’s eggs, become a chemical tag on the histone proteins that package DNA, and influence how the next generation’s genes first switch on?2026–2027 · Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany](https://khushisingh.in/research/gut-to-germline/)
2. [Organism & environmentOngoingBehaviour: activity and sleepHow does an animal’s metabolism shape how much it moves and sleeps across the day?2026–2027 · Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany](https://khushisingh.in/research/behaviour-and-metabolism/)
3. [MoleculePhosphate biosensor and FtsZHow can I watch, in real time, how fast a bacterial cell-division protein uses its fuel?2025–2026 · IISER Pune](https://khushisingh.in/research/phosphate-biosensor-ftsz/)
4. [Dropletoskar RNA condensatesHow do RNA–protein ‘droplets’ that carry oskar RNA help set aside the cells that will become the next generation’s eggs and sperm?May–July 2025 · IIT Kharagpur](https://khushisingh.in/research/oskar-condensates/)
5. [OrganelleER shape and autophagyWhat happens to protein quality control and tissue shape when an ER-shaping protein is reduced in fly embryos and ovaries?2024–2025 · IISER Pune](https://khushisingh.in/research/er-and-autophagy/)
6. [DropletPrion protein phase separationUnder which conditions of salt, pH and concentration does the mouse prion protein form liquid-like droplets or aggregates?May–July 2024 · IISER Pune](https://khushisingh.in/research/prion-phase-separation/)
7. [Organism & environmentEcology and evolutionHow do insects respond to light, and how do plants and their pathogens interact in a campus ecosystem?September–October 2023 · IISER Pune](https://khushisingh.in/research/ecology-first-steps/)

Open questions

## What I’d love to find out

- Do microbial metabolites reach the germline, and in what form (L- or D-lactate)?
- Is histone lactylation activating or repressive in the earliest embryo?
- How do mothers *and fathers* pass on information beyond DNA sequence?
- How much of what we learn in flies holds in mammals?

### [Toolbox](https://khushisingh.in/research/toolbox/)

The methods behind my projects, from single-molecule imaging and enzyme kinetics to activity monitoring, explained simply.

### [Research interests](https://khushisingh.in/research/interests/)

Two core themes, chromatin in early development and mRNA–protein condensates, with open questions and landmark work.

### [Model system](https://khushisingh.in/research/model-system/)

The fruit fly: life cycle, egg chamber to stage 5 embryo, the genetic toolkit, plus the other organisms and proteins I have worked with.

### [Talks & posters](https://khushisingh.in/research/outputs/)

Where this work has been presented.

**I’m open to PhD positions from 2027** in chromatin and gene regulation in development, RNA–protein condensates, and metabolism and behaviour. [How my experience fits](https://khushisingh.in/about/#fit) · [Get in touch](https://khushisingh.in/contact/).