Title : Smad-dependent BMP signaling through type IA receptor in cranial neural crest cells directs their cell fate towards chondrocytes to cause craniosynostosis

Speaker: Yuji Mishina

Host: Prof. Yuan Wang

When: 2012-11-2  13:30

Where: Conference Room 534, School of Life Sciences

Abstract：Dr. Mishina’s laboratory is interested in functions of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling during bone development/remodeling and craniofacial development. We recently developed several mouse lines to conditionally decrease or increase levels of BMP signaling using a Cre-loxP system. Using these systems, we have found that BMP signaling in osteoblasts is critical for maintenance of bone mass and biomechanical properties, BMP signaling in early embryos is critical for ciliogenesis that is essential to establish a left-right asymmetry, and BMP signaling in cardiac neural crest cells is important for valve functions during heart development. In this seminar, I would like to talk about our recent findings how BMP signaling is critically involved in skull morphogenesis through a tight regulation of its signaling activity.