What We Do
Statement of Research Interests:
Our group studies the frog Xenopus laevis and the zebrafish Danio rerio to obtain insights into mechanisms of vertebrate development. We use molecular and genetic screens to identify genes that regulate development, with an emphasis on signaling pathways, cell interactions and the regulation of protein stability and function. Some of the genes with regionally or temporally restricted expression discovered in these screens are subjected to detailed functional studies.
Recent projects have included studies on the regulation of cell movements during gastrulation by the Wnt pathway. We have identified a guanine nucleotide exchange factor that has a critical role in this process in the frog embryo. In another project we are studying factors that modulate the Fgf pathway. We have studied the transmembrane protein Lrig3 that modulates Fgf signaling, and is required for neural crest formation. Lrig3 interacts with Fgf receptors and appears to regulate the availability of the receptor in the cell. Studies on factors that modulate neural crest induction continue in our laboratory.
The aim of another current project is to elucidate mechanisms of axis specification in the zebrafish embryo. We are studying molecular events that specify the initial dorsal-ventral axis through the regulation of transcription factor activity by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Lnx-L. We have shown that Lnx-L regulates organizer formation in the zebrafish by limiting the stability of the homeodomain protein Dharma/Bozozok. The role of Lnx-L in later embryogenesis is a continuing subject of interest.
