November 6 @ 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Dr. Jeff Farrell
Stadtman Investigator/Assistant Professor
NIH
“Developmental regulation of best4+ intestinal epithelial cells”
Abstract: My lab investigates the transcriptional basis of cell fate decisions and cellular function during zebrafish development. We use and develop single-cell genomic approaches to find surprising cell types, cell states, or cellular transitions to study with classical developmental and genetic approaches. Recently, we profiled transcriptionally distinct populations during wild-type zebrafish embryogenesis and early larval development by generating a 489,000-cell atlas using single-cell RNAseq from 62 developmental stages (3–120 hours post-fertilization), which we have made available as the popular resource, Daniocell. Within this data, we identified transcriptional profiles of understudied cell types and subpopulations, including the pneumatic duct, multiple intestinal smooth muscle cell populations, spatially distinct pericyte subpopulations, and homologs of recently discovered human best4+ intestinal epithelial cells.
Since the function of best4+ cells and the developmental program that gives rise to them remains unknown in any animal, we have focused on characterizing this cell population. Zebrafish best4+ cells are highly transcriptionally similar to those in humans, making zebrafish a good model to study these cells in vivo in a genetically tractable, optically transparent model organism. I will present our results determining the developmental regulation of best4+ cells using both computational developmental trajectory and experimental approaches, establishing the progenitors that give rise to them, the developmental signals that specify them, and key transcription factors that contribute to their gene regulatory network. I will also present our early work using ablation models to establish the function of these cells.
Host: Ken Cho
Seminar will be held in person only.
For questions about this event, please contact Mayra Rubio at mrubio3@uci.edu.