Faculty
Andrew T. Dudley, PhD
Assistant Professor
Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology
PhD, Harvard University
Email: a-dudley@northwestern.edu
Phone: (847) 467-4894
Fax: (847) 467-1380
Room: Pancoe Rm 1411
Research Interests
Uncovering the mechanisms that govern morphogenesis, the generation of biological form
For a tissue or organ to achieve correct shape and size, cellular differentiation and growth must be coordinately regulated. My current favored model system for the study of morphogenetic processes is the developing skeleton, in particular the chick forelimb or wing (I also have a strong interest in kidney development).
Although most bones are generated from a common progenitor cell type, each forming element acquires a unique shape. This is true even for paired structures, such as the limbs, in which bones from one side are mirror images of those on the other. Alterations in skeletal structure are components of many birth defects, but also are important for generating morphological diversity throughout evolutionary history. Surprisingly, studies in the mouse suggest that many deviations in skeletal development result from the effect of a genetic lesion on the formation or regulation of the early prechondrogenic condensate, the precursor to the cartilage element. For this reason, I am interested in determining how condensates are formed and the mechanisms that control their size and shape.
Some of the initial questions we will address are:
1. What is the process by which limb mesenchyme cells become prechondrocytes and how is condensation of the progenitors initiated?
2. What role does cell adhesion play in forming and regulating the shape of developing cartilage elements? Is cell adhesion a major factor in keeping adjacent elements from fusing?
3. What is the basis of the differential response to specific signals of cells that form the proximal (near the body) and distal (digits) limb elements?
To address these issues, we rely on a combination of classical embryological techniques (e.g. embryo surgery and tissue explant cultures), genetics (mouse), genomics (DNA microarrays) and biochemistry.
Selected Publications
Ahrens MJ, Li Y, Jiang H, Dudley AT. Convergent extension movements in growth plate chondrocytes require gpi-anchored cell surface proteins. Development. 2009 Oct;136(20):3463-74. Epub 2009 Sep 17.
Kim JH, Gurumurthy CB, Naramura M, Zhang Y, Dudley AT, Doglio L, Band H, Band V. Role of mammalian Ecdysoneless in cell cycle regulation. J Biol Chem. 2009 Sep 25;284(39):26402-10. Epub 2009 Jul 29.
Li Y, Dudley AT. Noncanonical frizzled signaling regulates cell polarity of growth plate chondrocytes. Development. 2009 Apr;136(7):1083-92. Epub 2009 Feb 18
Dudley AT, Tabin CJ. Deconstructing phosphatases in limb development. Nat Cell Biol. 2003 Jun;5(6):499-501. No abstract available.
Oxburgh L, Dudley AT, Godin RE, Koonce CH, Islam A, Anderson DC, Bikoff EK, Robertson EJ. BMP4 substitutes for loss of BMP7 during kidney development. Dev Biol. 2005 Oct 15;286(2):637-46. Epub 2005 Sep 8.
Dudley, A. T., Ros, M. A. and Tabin, C. J. (2002) A re-examination of proximodistal patterning during vertebrate limb development. Nature 418: 539-544.
View all publications by Andrew T. Dudley listed in the National Library of Medicine (PubMed). (IBiS students in blue)