Ian Macara, "Cell Polarity, Morphogenesis, and Metastasis"

Oct 06, 2014 (Mon) | 4:00 PM -5:30 PM
318 Campus Drive, Clark Auditorium S001 : Stanford, CA

The first tissue to arise during animal evolution was probably the epithelium. Many organs in the body are composed of epithelial cells, and most human cancers are epithelial in origin. The PAR polarity proteins are conserved throughout the animal kingdom and play essential roles in epithelial morphogenesis. Their loss can disrupt mitotic spindle orientation and growth, promoting tumor invasiveness but also in some circumstances stimulating apoptosis, perhaps as a protective measure. Epithelia arise from stem cells and the PAR proteins also regulate stem cell asymmetric divisions and maintenance. We are interested in the molecular functions of the PAR3 polarity protein in normal epithelial function, during tumor progression, and in stem cell maintenance, primarily using mammary glands as a model system.

Department:  Biology

Contact: Maria Magana-Lopez | 650-723-2413 | mmagana@stanford.edu

Presenter(s):

  • Ian Macara Vanderbilt University Medical Center