Research Interests:
Our laboratory studies the regulation of stem cell fate and proliferation. As a model to study dormant adult stem cells, we study the cell cycle regulation of hair follicle stem cells using genetic models and cell-permeable proteins. These studies are aimed at understanding what molecular changes are required for activation and maintenance of adult stem cell proliferation. Another area of research is in understanding the role of RAS in stem cell proliferation and stem cell fate. This investigation examines the role of RAS in regulating Nanog expression and the pluripotent stem cell fate in the mouse blastocyst. A second model is in the skin where the genetic activation of RAS induces both self-renewal and growth arrest depending on the type of adult stem cell. The molecular and cellular basis of these defects will be examined in animal and human models of organogenesis.
Keywords: Cell Biology, Genetics, Hair, Morphogenesis, Cell Cycle, Nanog, Embryos, Ras, Human, Stem Cells, Proliferation, Developmental biology
Track(s):
Genetics
MCB
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