Research
- Our Main Objectives
- Introduction to Keratin Genes and Proteins
- Assembly and Organization of Keratin Filaments
- Keratins fulfill Multiple Roles in Skin and other Epithelia
- Keratin Gene Expression in Epidermis: Basic Principles and Disease Associations
- Introduction to Skin Epithelia
- Figure 1 - Introduction to Keratins
- Table 1 - Keratin-based, Inherited Skin Bullous Disease Affecting Primarily the Epidermis
Our Main Objectives
Our research program consists of two lines of investigation whose paths cross one another constantly.
At one level, we are studying development, differentiation, and homeostasis in complex epithelia. Our main model tissue for this purpose is the skin, but the genes, proteins and processes that we study are directly relevant, and regularly bring us to, other epithelia. We are most interested in how epithelial cells acquire the cytoarchitecture that best assists their function(s) in the tissue they are part of. To pursue this interest, we focus on embryonic skin development, the self-renewal of skin structures such as epidermis and hair follicles, the response of adult skin to injury, and the pathophysiology of select diseases (e.g. inherited skin fragility disorders; cancer).
At another level, we are studying the properties and functions of keratin intermediate filaments. Keratins are the major structural proteins in epithelial cells, and are encoded by a large group of genes that are individually regulated in a tissue type- and differentiation-specific manner within epithelia. The regulation of individual genes and the primary structure of their protein products are highly conserved throughout mammals, raising the prospect of a functionally significant relationship between keratins and the function of epithelial tissues. We are seeking to define, at a molecular level, how keratin proteins impact upon the structure, properties and function of epithelial cells. These efforts are fundamentally important to understanding epithelial biology in health and disease.
How do we pursue these objectives at a practical level? As can be inferred from our list of publications, our activities range from the manipulation of specific genes in mice, the assessment of its consequences for the relevant population of epithelial cells in vivo and ex vivo, to the biochemical and biophysical characterization of keratin proteins and the filaments they form in vitro. Cross-fertilization between our basic studies on skin epithelia and intermediate filaments has been rewarding – an example is our recent efforts towards the use of a natural product for the treatment of a genetic disease of the skin.
