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MORPHOGENESIS
We use developing embryos to explore the cell biology of morphogenesis — in this gastrulating embryo, cytoskeletal (blue) and adhesion proteins (red) become reciprocally planar polarized.
Cell adhesion, cytoskeletal regulation and Wnt signaling in development and disease
We work at the interface between cell and developmental biology, focusing on the epithelial tissues that form the basic architectural unit of our bodies and of those of other animals. We explore how the machinery mediating cell adhesion, cytoskeletal regulation and Wnt signaling regulates cell fate and tissue architecture in development and disease.
Diversity, equity and inclusion are core American values and are central to our lab’s approach
Lab Focus
WNT Signaling and APC
Wnt signals are one of the five signal transduction pathways that shape virtually all cell fates and which are inappropriately activated in most solid tumors. We explore novel biological roles for Wnt signaling during development, and seek to determine how the tumor suppressor APC regulates both Wnt signaling and the cytoskeleton.
Our challenge is to alter the current static model of cell adhesion to explain the remarkable cellular events of morphogenesis that shape the embryonic body plan. To do so, we must understand the dynamic regulation of cell adhesion and the interactions between adhesion and the cytoskeleton.