We are investigating the cellular and molecular genetic mechanisms underlying vertebrate gastrulation, a crucial period of embryogenesis during which the germ layers are formed and then shaped into the vertebrate body plan with organ rudiments. During gastrulation, a series of inductive events that specify cell identities and massive cell movements fashion the body plan. The complex and dynamic nature of gastrulation makes it a challenging but intellectually fascinating object of study. In humans, 25-50% of pregnancies end in early miscarriages of largely unknown genetic origin. Moreover, the molecular regulation of tumor growth and metastasis show striking parallels to those underlying gastrulation movements, underscoring the practical significance of gastrulation research.
We are addressing the mechanisms of gastrulation in the zebrafish (Danio rerio), a system that affords a powerful combination of forward and reverse genetic analyses with embryological, cellular and molecular methods and also in human embryonic stem cells. We are also employing embryonic stem cells and tumor cell lines to test whether the new genes and mechanisms we implicate in zebrafish gastrulation are also involved in human development and disease. Our current experiments are focused on the roles of the Wnt, Wnt/Planar Cell Polarity, Stat3 and G-protein coupled receptor signaling pathways and epigenetic factors in the regulation of embryonic polarity and gastrulation movements.
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Recent News
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Congratulations to Isa Roszko!Isa Roszko (center), Scientist in the Lila Solnica-Krezel laboratory received FEBS Letters First Level Poster Prize at the 14th International Zebrafish Conference in Suzhou, China. Congratulations Isa! Read More >> |
Congratulations to Lila Solnica-Krezel!Lila received the Nusslein-Volhard Award at the 2019 International Zebrafish Society meeting. The Nusslein-Volhard Award is from the European Society for Fish Models in Biology and Medicine (EuFishBioMed). Read More >> |
Congratulations to Margot Williams!Margot Williams, Ph.D., Staff Scientist in the Solnica-Krezel lab has accepted a tenure-track position as an assistant professor in the Center for Precision Environmental Health and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine where she will start in the fall of 2019. Read More >> |
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Congratulations to Jiakun Chen!Jiakun was recently awarded the 2018 Irving Boime Publication Award for his publication entitled “Atypical Cadherin Dachsous1b interacts with Ttc28 and Aurora B to Control Microtuble Dynamics in Embryonic Cleavages”. The award was presented at the Department of Developmental Biology Holiday party, where Lila accepted the award on his behalf. Pictured left to right: Irving Boime, Lila Solnica-Krezel and Martin Matzuk. Read More >> |
Congratulations to Lila Solnica-Krezel!The American Association for the Advancement of Science has bestowed upon her the lifetime honor of being an elected Fellow in recognition of her distinguished contributions to the field of developmental biology, particularly advancing forward genetics to define genetic mechanisms underlying inductive and morphogenetic processes during vertebrate embryogenesis. Read More >> |
Congratulations to Margot L. K. Williams!Margot Williams, Ph.D., Staff Scientist in the Solnica-Krezel lab received a two-year K99 Career Award from the National Institutes of Health , National Institute of Child Health & Human Development beginning September 1, 2018, for her project entitled “Defining Direct and Indirect Roles of Nodal Signaling in Convergence & Extension”.
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Terin BudineOur recent graduate student alumna, Terin Budine, joined the Department of Office of Technology Management and Washington University in St. Louis. Read More >> |
Atypical Cadherin Dachsous1b interact with Ttc28 and Aurora B to control microtubule dynamics in embryonic cleavages. ChenJ, Castelvecchi GD, Li-Villarreal N, Raught B, Krezel AM, McNeill H, Solnica-Krezel L. Developmental Cell. 2018 May 7;45(3):376-391.
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Gon4l promotes embryonic axis extension by regulating notochord cell polarity and boundary formation through repression of cell adhesion genes. Williams ML, Sawada A, Budine T, Yin C, Gontarz P, Solnica-Krezel L. Nature Communications. 2018 9:1319.
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