EPITHELIAL TISSUES, COMPOSED OF ADHERENT POLARIZED CELL SHEETS, SERVE A CRITICAL BARRIER FUNCTION throughout the body. such tissues, which include the skin, intestine, and mammary gland, HARBOR Stem cells that can proliferate extensively as well as generate diverse cell types. these features, which are essential to maintain tissue architectural and functional integrity, can also promote tumor formation. epithelia do not exist in a vacuum — they are surrounded by a complex microenvironment consisting of MANY DISTINCT cell POPULATIONS that impact stem cell behavior. we USE THE mOUSE EPIDERMIS AND ITS SUBAPPENDAGES (including the hair follicle and mammary gland) to understand how INTRINSIC AND extrinsic signals dictate epithelial stem cell function in developmental, damage and disease contexts. the goal of OUR research is to exploit this knowledge to develop more targeted regenerative and cancer therapies.
