Developmental Biology
Helen Skaer 
Professor of Developmental Biology
Email: h.skaer@zoo.cam.ac.uk
Tel.: +44 (0)1223 763189
Research in the lab is directed towards an understanding of the cellular activities that underlie organogenesis and in particular towards the roleplayed by cell interactions in the regulation of these activities. Our longer term aim is to focus on the interdependence of cellular events and the way in which they are co-ordinated to produce a mature tissue of defined size and shape, in which the patterned differentiation of cells results in a functionally integrated structure. A particular interest is to understand how the physiological attributes of an organ are defined during development.
We use the embryonic development of Drosophila renal tubules as a model system. The use of Drosophila allows us to combine the techniques of genetics, molecular biology, tissue culture and experimental cell manipulation, such as cell ablation and transplantation, as well as new advances in genomic and proteomic analysis. Focussing on the renal tubules gives us a clear physiological readout of development so that we can analyse developmental events and correlate them with the onset of physiological activity.
Our recent work has uncovered parallels between insect and vertebrate nephrogenesis at the level both of cell behaviour and genetic regulation. For example; the gene mutated in human nephrotic syndrome (NPHS-1) has a homologue in the fly which we have found is essential for normal renal tubule development. By analysing the role of such gene products, and their partners, in the fly we hope to reveal conserved functions in kidney development and activity.
Selected publications
- Sudarsan, V., Anant, S., Guptan, P., VijayRaghavan, K., Skaer H., (2001). Myoblast Diversification and Ectodermal Signaling in Drosophila. Developmental Cell. 1(6): 829-840
- Vikram Sudarsan, Sara Pasalodos-Sanchez, Susan Wan, Alexandra Gampel and Helen Skaer, (2002). A genetic hierarchy establishes mitogenic signalling and mitotic competence in the renal tubules of Drosophila. Development 129(4): 935-944
- Denholm, B., Sudarsan, V., Pasalodos Sanchez, S., Artero, R., Lawrence, P, Maddrell, S., Baylies, M. and Skaer, H. (2003) Dual origin of the renal tubules in Drosophila: mesodermal cells integrate and polarise to establish secretory function. Current Biol. 13: 1052-1057. (and see commentary in Current Biol 2003 13: R511-R513).
- Jung, A., Denholm, B., Skaer, H. & Affolter, M. (2005) Renal tubule development in Drosophila: a closer look at the cellular level. J.American Soc.Nephrology 16: 322– 328.
- Denholm, B. Brown, S., Ray, R., Ruiz-Gómez, M., Skaer, H. and Castelli-Gair Hombría, J. (2005) crossveinless-c is a RhoGAP required for actin reorganisation during morphogenesis. Development 132: 2389-2400.
- E. Hatton-Ellis, C. Ainsworth, Y. Sushama, S. Wan, K. Vijay Raghavan, and H. Skaer, (2007). Genetic regulation of patterned tubular branching in Drosophila. Proc. Nat. Acad. of Sci. 104(1): 169-174.
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