Lab Members
Zhoughou Wang
PhD Candidate/Graduate Research Assistant
I have two different projects with entirely different focuses. My first project is to characterize chicken taste buds to set up a novel model for taste bud research; we utilize chicken chimeras to perform lineage tracing of neural crest cells. My current project and PhD thesis examines the role of Hedgehog signaling in taste bud development and renewal using both knock-out and knock-in mice.
Wenxin Yu
PhD Candidate/Graduate Assistant
For my PhD thesis, I closely examine neural crest cell migration. Using the mouse model, I have established that Sox10-Cre/RFP is an effective method to label migrating neural crest cells. I am now focused on specifically determining how derivatives of these cells contribute to taste bud development and maintenance.
Mohamed Ishan
PhD Candidate/Graduate Research Assistant
My PhD thesis project is to understand how neural crest and neural crest derivatives regulate taste organ development via molecular signaling pathways. We believe that underlying mesenchyme signals to overlying epithelium in order to regulate taste organ formation. I am currently studying the regulatory roles of mesenchymal BMP signaling in taste organ formation and maintenance.
Naomi Kramer
Masters Student/Graduate Research Assistant
My primary focus is to examine the process of taste bud development and renewal. It is commonly believed that taste buds arise from the surrounding epithelium; however data from our lab contradicts this. My project is to figure out whether there are other sources, namely in the underlying connective tissue, that contribute to taste bud development and/or renewal.
Yuta Yoshida
Visiting Researcher
I am a visiting researcher from Kyushu University in Japan (laboratory of functional anatomy). My research interest is taste biology of chickens. Currently, I am working on (1) the labeling of the bitter and umami taste receptors, and (2) the functional analysis in the taste buds of chickens.
