My research laboratory investigates cell-cell junctional complexes (adherens junctions and tight junctions) and their function in the establishment and maintenance of cell polarity. Cell polarity mechanisms act during embryonic development, during stem cell activation, during normal adult polarized cell functions (e. g., transepithelial cell transport) and are disrupted in certain disease states, like metastatic cancer.
Cadherins are transmembrane proteins that mediate cell-to-cell adhesion within the adherens junctions. Cadherins regulate cell polarity development and maintenance. We examine the functions of individual zebrafish cadherins during specific morphgenesis and differentiation events.
My laboratory also uses the zebrafish to model fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS; the consequences of prenatal ethanol exposure). Our experiments and those from other laboratories show that zebrafish is a useful model for mechanistic experiments, which should lead to a better understanding of this devastating human clinical condition.
Department of Biology
