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 Wyndham Ferris!Wyndham Ferris, a Research Technician in the Solnica-Krezel lab, will be starting graduate school in the fall in the Washington University Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences Developmental, Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology Program.
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Welcome to Alvin Randall, Postbaccalaureate ResearcherAlvin Randall joined the Solnica-Krezel lab in June 2021 as a postbaccalaureate researcher. Alvin joined the inaugural group of postbaccalaureate researchers as part of a program established by the Department of Developmental Biology and the Center of Regenerative Medicine.
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Dr. Lilianna Solnica-Krezel has received a competitive renewal for a five-year Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences starting May 1, 2021, for her project entitled, “Inductive and morphogenetic processes shaping the zebrafish embryonic axes. “ Read More >> |
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Welcome to Jacob Brush, Research Technician IIJacob joined the Solnica-Krezel lab in February 2021. In the lab he is working on a genetic screen for maternal-effect mutations affecting early zebrafish embryogenesis.
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Welcome to Blerta Stringa, Ph.D., PostdocDr. Blerta Stringa joined the Solnica-Krezel lab in October as a postdoctoral fellow. Dr. Stringa’s research will involve the interrogation of the function of zebrafish genes that we have recently identified by mapping several maternal effect mutant loci associated with developmental arrests at early gastrulation and segmentation stages. Read More >> |
New PublicationPostembryonic screen for mutations affecting spine development in zebrafish. Gray RS, Gonzalez R, Ackerman S, Minowa R, Griest J, Bayrak M, Troutwine B, Canter S, Monk K, Sepich D, and Solnica-Krezel L. Dev biol. 2020 Dec 5;471:18-33.
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Congratulations to Dr. Kyaw Thu Minn!Dr. Kyaw Thu Minn defended his thesis in fine style in October and will be starting in a consulting role at Charles River Associates. Congratulations, Minn!
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New PublicationMinn KT, Fu YC, He S, Dietmann S, George S, Anastasio M, Morris, SA, and Solnica-Krezel L. Elife. 2020 Nov. 9:e59445. Read More >> |
Congratulations to the newly minted Dr. Castelvecchi!Dr. Gina Castelvecchi defended her thesis on July 27, 2020, and will be starting a technology transfer fellowship through the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research with the Department of Defense in Washington DC. Congrats, Gina! Read More >> |
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