Understanding epithelial and mesenchymal cell interactions in the sensory nervous system
1st Supervisor: Professor Andrea Streit
2nd Supervisor: Dr Karen Liu
Description of project
In the vertebrate head, two multipotent stem cell populations form the sensory nervous system: neural crest cells and placode progenitors. Cross talk between them directs cell fate decisions and cell behaviour like migration and epithelial cell movement. This project will investigate the cellular response of placode progenitors to neural crest cells and vice versa and establish the signals that mediate their interaction. The student will use in vivo and in vitro approaches combined with life imaging and molecular manipulation of gene function in two different higher vertebrate model systems, chick and mouse.
The results will provide basic understanding of the formation of the sensory nervous system, but also serve as a model for the interaction between mesenchymal and epithelial cells during organogenesis and disease.
Duration of project: 4 years
Contact for further information
Professor Andrea Streit
Email: andrea.streit@kcl.ac.uk
Research Topic: Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology
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