Christian Rosa Birriel

Morphogenesis is the process that generates the shape of a tissue or an organ. It requires coordination of cell shape changes, movement, intercalation, proliferation and apoptosis. Pushing and pulling forces that are generated by the cytoskeleton and transmitted between cells through cell adhesion proteins play a vital role in this process. However, the mechanisms that generate and transmit these forces between cells are poorly understood. I am interested in how small Rho GTPases and their upstream regulators control and coordinate these forces during tissue morphogenesis.