简介

Research Area: Genetics, Cell, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program Affiliation: Genetics and Molecular Biology Degree: B.S., State University of New York , Albany , 1973 Ph.D., University of Connecticut , 1980 Cell to cell communication is a fundamental process in animal development. Through such communication cells induce or repress complex pathways of differentiation associated with pattern formation. The identification of mutations that disrupt cell communication has provided a wealth of information on the signaling systems that underlie this process. Among the most important systems discovered through such analyses is the Notch pathway. Notch signaling is involved in a wide array of developmental processes throughout the animal kingdom, and dysfunction of Notch is associated with several human diseases. Yet despite intensive study, our knowledge of both the processes regulated by Notch, and the components involved in Notch pathway function are incomplete. Thus, a more comprehensive understanding of this critical cell communication mechanism requires additional gene characterization. Using genetic and molecular methods, our lab is screening for loci implicated in Notch signaling.