Deciphering the cellular functions of caveolae that govern lymphatic vascular development. (2014-2016)
Abstract
Lymphatic vessels play crucial roles in tissue fluid homeostasis, immunity, and fatty acid transport. Despite our recent understanding of genetic pathways that modulate lymphatic cell fate specification, how cellular changes mediate morphogenesis of the lymphatic tree remains to be elucidated. We will combine cell biology and developmental genetics approaches using mouse and zebrafish transgenic lines that label lymphatic endothelial cells to investigate the role of caveolae proteins in the construction of the lymphatic vascular network. This project aims to improve our fundamental understanding of the processes that govern vascular system assembly and will broaden basic knowledge of organ morphogenesis.
