The mammary gland is remarkable in its capacity to self renew since every pregnancy results in prodigious cell growth to prepare for milk production. Stem cells required to maintain this process reside in specialized environments (niches) squeezed between the luminal and myoepithelial cells layers. We are exploring how loss of Slits and Netrins disrupt these niches, and the biological consequences of this disruption.
Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Formation of the vascular system within organs requires the balanced action of numerous positive and negative factors secreted by stromal and epithelial cells. Here, we used a genetic approach to determine the role of SLITs in regulating the growth and organization of blood vessels in the mammary gland. We demonstrate that vascularization of the gl...
Published in Cell Stem Cell
Specific bone marrow (BM) niches are critical for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function during both normal hematopoiesis and in stem cell transplantation therapy. We demonstrate that the guidance molecule Robo4 functions to specifically anchor HSCs to BM niches. Robo4-deficient HSCs displayed poor localization to BM niches and drastically reduced ...
Published in The Journal of Cell Biology
Wnt-1 homologs have been identified in invertebrates and vertebrates and play important roles in cellular differentiation and organization. In Drosophila, the products of the segment polarity genes wingless (the Wnt-1 homolog) and armadillo participate in a signal transduction pathway important for cellular boundary formation in embryonic developme...
