A5032830430- Marine Sponges and Natural Products
- Marine Biology and Environmental Chemistry
- Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Craniofacial Disorders and Treatments
- interferon and immune responses
- Congenital heart defects research
- Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
- Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research
- Ubiquitin and proteasome pathways
- MicroRNA in disease regulation
- Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
- Venomous Animal Envenomation and Studies
- Hearing, Cochlea, Tinnitus, Genetics
- RNA modifications and cancer
- Cell Adhesion Molecules Research
- Cleft Lip and Palate Research
- Connective tissue disorders research
- melanin and skin pigmentation
- Zebrafish Biomedical Research Applications
- Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in Insects
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior
- Silk-based biomaterials and applications
- Molecular Biology Techniques and Applications
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
2019-2023
University of Denver
2018-2019
The evolution of cell-adhesion mechanisms in animals facilitated the assembly organized multicellular tissues. Studies traditional animal models have revealed two predominant adhesion structures, adherens junction (AJ) and focal adhesions (FAs), which are involved attachment neighboring cells to each other secreted extracellular matrix (ECM), respectively. AJ (containing cadherins catenins) FAs (comprising integrins, talin, paxillin) differ protein composition, but both junctions contain...
During craniofacial development, different populations of cartilage- and bone-forming cells develop in precise locations the head. Most these are derived from pluripotent cranial neural crest differentiate with distinct developmental timing cellular morphologies. The mechanisms that divide into discrete not fully understood. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing to transcriptomically define cells. We discovered gene family encoding Alx transcription factors is enriched frontonasal...
The integrity and organization of animal tissues depend upon specialized protein complexes that mediate adhesion between cells with each other (cadherin-based adherens junctions), the extracellular matrix (integrin-based focal adhesions). Reconstructing how when these cell junctions evolved is central to understanding early tissue evolution in animals. We examined homologs freshwater sponge, Ephydatia muelleri (phylum Porifera; class Demospongiae). Our principal findings are (1) sponge...
Human faces are variable; we look different from one another. Craniofacial disorders further increase facial variation. To understand craniofacial variation and how it can be buffered, analyzed the zebrafish mef2ca mutant. When this transcription factor encoding gene is mutated, develop dramatically variable phenotypes. Years of selective breeding for low high penetrance mutant phenotypes produced strains that either resilient or sensitive to mutation. Here, compared expression between these...
Cranial neural crest development is governed by positional gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Fine-tuning of the GRN components underlies facial shape variation, yet how those in midface are connected and activated remain poorly understood. Here, we show that concerted inactivation Tfap2a Tfap2b murine crest, even during late migratory phase, results a midfacial cleft skeletal abnormalities. Bulk single-cell RNA-seq profiling reveal loss both TFAP2 family members dysregulates numerous involved...
The Notch pathway is a cell-cell communication system which critical for many developmental processes, including craniofacial development. receptor activation induces expression of several well-known canonical targets those encoded by the hes and her genes in mammals zebrafish, respectively. function these genes, individually combination, during development not well understood. Here, we used zebrafish genetics to investigate her9 her6 gene We found that required osteoblasts efficiently...
ABSTRACT Cranial neural crest development is governed by positional gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Fine-tuning of the GRN components underly facial shape variation, yet how those in midface are connected and activated remain poorly understood. Here, we show that concerted inactivation Tfap2a Tfap2b murine even during late migratory phase results a midfacial cleft skeletal abnormalities. Bulk single-cell RNA-seq profiling reveal loss both Tfap2 members dysregulated numerous involved fusion,...
Abstract The integrity and organization of animal tissues depends upon specialized protein complexes that mediate adhesion between cells with each other (cadherin-based adherens junctions), the extracellular matrix (integrin-based focal adhesions). Reconstructing how when these cell junctions evolved is central to understanding early tissue evolution in animals. We examined homologs freshwater sponge, Ephydatia muelleri (phylum Porifera). found sponge proteins co-precipitate as a complex...
ABSTRACT Human faces are variable; we look different from one another. Craniofacial disorders further increase this variability. Here used the zebrafish mef2ca mutant, which produces variable phenotypes, to understand craniofacial variation. Comparing alleles demonstrated that severity, measured by penetrance and expressivity, correlates with Years of selective breeding for low high produced strains either resilient, or sensitive, mutation. these demonstrates severity Gene expression studies...
Craniofacial anomalies are the 2nd leading structural malformation present at birth. Those in midface, such as orofacial clefts and hypertelorism, can arise from mutations Transcription Factor Activating Protein 2 genes TFAP2A TFAP2B (abbreviated TFAP2). These do not reduce their gene expression, but instead generate mutant proteins that disrupt activity of other wild-type functionally redundant paralogs. Previous studies showed both paralogs co-expressed embryonic hinting cooperative role...