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XB-PERS-1588
Name: Valérie A McLin
Position: Assistant Professor
Research Description:
The vertebrate body is generated from three germ layers: ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm. The development of these three germ layers, and the early reciprocal interactions between them, are now well understood and accepted to be conserved between species. The epithelium of the vertebrate gastrointestinal tract is derived from the endoderm and the muscular layers and mesenchyme are derived from the visceral mesoderm. It is understood that the endoderm and mesoderm require intrinsic and extrinsic factors for coordinated development of the GI tract, but most of these factors remain elusive. This crosstalk is indispensable both for the development of the GI tract and for its integrity into adulthood. The epithelium has been the focus of most studies to date because of the clinical implications for epithelial biology in the understanding and treatment of cancer. Only recently has the importance of signaling from the mesoderm/mesenchyme in tissue homeostasis and repair been increasingly highlighted because of the implications for both epithelial and stem-cell biology. Likewise, there is a conspicuous gap in the current knowledge of GI development: the molecular mechanisms controlling the development of the visceral mesoderm and its interactions with the adjacent endoderm remain poorly understood. Therefore, using the experimental advantages of both the Xenopus and mouse systems, it is the overall aim of Dr McLins research to characterize the molecular network participating in the development of the visceral mesoderm/mesenchyme and the patterning of the gastrointestinal tract as a whole.
Lab Memberships
McLin lab
(Principal Investigator/Director)
Contact Information
Address:
c/o Herrera Lab
PHYME
CMU-5e
1, rue Michel Servet
Geneva
1211, Switzerland
Web Page: http://medweb1.unige.ch/recherche/groupes/b_donnees/sujet_900_1.html
General/Lab Phone: +41223795223
General/Lab Fax: +41223845489
Phone: +41223824572