Research in our department focuses on unraveling molecular mechanisms and systems that control different aspects of cell biology. These include:
- Cytoskeletal organization; cell adhesion and movement
- Biological networks and intracellular signaling
- Cellular senescence and cancer
- Development and differentiation
- Cellular physiology and metabolism
- Studies in our department focus on integrin- and cadherin-mediated adhesions, and the mechanisms whereby they sense external surfaces, recognizing not only their chemical composition, but also their physical properties, including their topography, rigidity and ligand density. Systematic molecular modulation of the adhesion sites is used in an attempt to decipher the mechanisms whereby the adhesion-based molecular machinery integrates complex environmental information and triggers a coherent and robust response. Signaling by cell-cell adhesion is also central for cellular and tissue morphogenesis, and alterations in adhesion-mediated signaling are characteristic to the later stages of cancer progression. Therefore, the coordination between cell-cell adhesion and gene expression, a fundamental process in the formation of multicellular organisms is investigated.
- Understanding the protein circuits that perform computations within the cell is a central problem in biology. Therefore studies of biological networks and circuits are carried out using combined experimental and theoretical approaches, aiming to uncover general underlying principles that govern their functioning and evolution. Computational and systems biology approaches also focus on nutrition, genetics, microbiome, and gene regulation and their effect on health and disease, aiming at developing personalized nutrition and personalized medicine. Tools from systems biology are being used to study the design principles of mammalian tissues and to understand how the structure of tissues and their single-cell gene expression patterns serve to achieve physiologic goals and how these intercellular interactions are perturbed in disease.
- A major thrust in our department aims to explore the molecular circuitries and biological processes that suppress the emergence of cancer, and the mechanisms that cause deregulation of those processes in tumors. A key player in many of those processes is the p53 tumor suppressor. Therefore studies are aimed to elucidate the biochemical and biological basis for the ability of p53 to act as a tumor suppressor, and the consequences of its inactivation or mutation in cancer. Studies also seek to define the signaling pathways and the intracellular signaling components that contribute to the development and progression of cancer. In that respect, different mechanisms, which render cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy, are the focus of intensive research. Studies also focus on recurrent tumor-specific mutations using high-throughput, whole exome and whole genome sequencing approaches. Once such mutations are identified, their biochemical, functional, and clinical implications are investigated. Studies also target the role of cellular senescence, a permanent cell-cycle arrest, in tissue damage, cancer, aging and embryonic development, aiming to uncover the interactions of senescent cells with their microenvironment.
- Cellular physiology and metabolism is a focus of research. Cross talk between insulin resistance, animal lectins and bone remodeling is studied, focusing on the role of animal lectins (particularly galectin-8) as regulators of bone remodeling and insulin action, as well as characterization of novel elements that modulate survival of pancreatic beta cells.
- Development and differentiation are key areas of research in our department. The specific fates of embryonic progenitor cells, and their patterning require a molecular “dialogue” between adjacent cell populations; yet the details of these molecular interactions remain elusive. Studies are therefore aimed to unravel the molecular underpinnings of the “cross-talk” between naïve embryonic cells utilizing both avian embryos and mouse genetic approaches, focusing on the signaling molecules that regulate heart and craniofacial development during early vertebrate embryogenesis. Utilizing zebrafish as a vertebrate model organism, researchers study the mechanisms of development that contribute to the formation of hypothalamic circuits starting from early cell fate decisions through later morphogenic processes that shape the neuro-anatomy of the hypothalamus. Studies also involve the characterization of myelinating glial cells and the mechanisms that enable them to form one of the most complex structures found in nature, that enables fast and efficient nerve conduction, and provide essential trophic support to maintain axonal integrity and survival. Another focus is on the molecular mechanisms that regulate, control and execute developmental neuronal remodeling in Drosophila. Understanding these mechanisms should provide a broader insight into the processes of axon elimination and regrowth during development, disease and following injury.