6 February 2020

Hosted by Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies, University of Warwick

A one-day workshop, funded by the Alan Turning Institute, organised in collaboration with the Centre for Science & Technology Studies, University of Leiden (the Netherlands)

Part of the project “Inventing Indicators of Interdisciplinarity: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/cim/research/inventing-indicators-of-interdisciplinarity

Abstract: My lab investigates the role of Reproductive homeobox X-linked (RHOX) transcription factors in gonad development and fertility. The somatic-cell expressed RHOX factors regulate enzymes, ligands, and receptors associated with metabolism. This has led us to our present work examining ablation of insulin receptors in the gonads and reproductive tract that have unmasked novel roles in ovulation and implantation.

My lab uses transgenic mouse models to investigate the role of Reproductive homeobox X-linked (RHOX) transcription factors in gonad development and fertility. I have extensive experience in reproductive biology and gene regulation, having initially trained with Mike Roberts in maternal / trophoblast interaction as a Ph.D. student at the University of Missouri and with Miles Wilkinson as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. While at MD Anderson, I initiated and completed the first Rhox5 regulation studies in the ovary. However, there were two unexpected outcomes from my post-doctoral stint. First, because the phenotype of the Rhox5-null was predominantly testis and epididymal defects, I expanded my expertise into the realm of male reproductive physiology. However, the most significant development was that I discovered that Rhox5 was not alone on the X chromosome but part of a large homeobox gene cluster, whose members all appear to be relevant specifically in tissues associated with reproduction. The majority of the Rhox genes are restricted to germ cells, but our work focuses on the two that are expressed in the somatic cells of the gonad, Rhox5 and Rhox8. We have found that these two RHOX factors regulate enzymes, ligands, and receptors associated with metabolism. This has led us to our present work examining ablation of insulin receptors in the gonads and reproductive tract that have unmasked novel roles for insulin signaling in ovulation and implantation

Abstract: The cardiovascular system is the first organ system to form during vertebrate embryonic development. Blood vessels are essential for tissue growth and homeostasis, primarily by facilitating gaseous exchange and excretion of waste products alongside transport of nutrients and signalling molecules. Unsurprisingly, defects in the structure and function of blood vessels underlie two of the largest causes of mortality worldwide; cardiovascular disease and cancer. We use the translucent zebrafish embryo to study the signals and mechanisms which regulate vessel formation and permeability and identify how these are dysregulated during disease. We employ live imaging approaches to interrogate the cell types involved and determine how a complex vascular network is formed and subsequently maintained throughout life.