Research

Using lamprey as a model system, we examine neural crest development in basal vertebrates to gain insight into the evolution of the vertebrate neural crest gene regulatory network. We are examining homologs of neural crest genes in to asses the evolutionary conservation of the neural crest gene regulatory network.

We study the signaling and transcriptional interactions that lead to neural crest formation both at the tissue and the molecular level. We are applying gain- and loss-of-function approaches coupled with transcriptome, regulatory analysis and bioinformatics to interrogate the molecular interactions that comprise a neural crest gene regulatory network.

Using chick and zebrafish models, we study the development of the enteric nervous system (ENS) from the vagal and sacral neural crest. The enteric nervous system innervates the gastrointestinal tract and plays a critical role in regulating gut motility and homeostasis. Dysregulation of ENS development can lead to enteric neuropathies such as Hirschsprung's disease. The Bronner lab utilizes single cell transcriptomics and confocal microscopy to characterize the diverse neuronal cell types that arise from the vagal and sacral neural crest.