MHI Seminar Series presents Sophie Astrof, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Cell Biology, Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ

Title Of Talk: “Temporal and Cell-Type Specific Function of Fibronectin in Cardiovascular Development”

The ability of cells to sense and to respond to changes in their extracellular environment is integral to the process of embryonic morphogenesis. In our lab, we have been studying the functions of the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin (Fn1) in vertebrate development. Fn1 is expressed in a highly dynamic and non-uniform patterns during embryogenesis and is required for multiple and distinct morphogenetic events at different developmental stages. Although Fn1 is a secreted glycoprotein, conditional mutagenesis experiments show that it is required in a cell-type-specific manner and that it has distinct, cell-autonomous functions during cardiovascular development. For example, Fn1 is required for the accrual of vascular progenitors in the pharyngeal arches, for the remodeling of the pharyngeal arch vasculature, and for the differentiation of cardiac neural crest cells into vascular smooth muscle cells via the modulation of Notch signaling. To study the basis for cell-specific functions of Fn1, we are using live imaging and single molecule localization microscopy to uncover the relationship between Fn1 fibrillogenesis (e.g. extracellular matrix formation) and its multiple in vivo functions.

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Pagano Conference Room (LCCC 00-002)
450 West Dr.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
United States
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