Faculty
Carole LaBonne, PhD
Associate Professor
Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology
PhD, Harvard University
Email: clabonne@northwestern.edu
Phone: (847) 491-4165
Fax: (847) 467-1380
Room: Pancoe Rm 3411
Research Interests
My laboratory studies the cellular and molecular events underlying the formation, migration and differentiation of neural crest cells. These multipotent stem-cell-like precursor cells migrate extensively and give rise to an amazingly diverse set of derivatives in vertebrate embryos. Neural crest cells are important precursors of the peripheral nervous system, and also form a number of important non-neuronal derivatives including melanocytes, craniofacial bone and cartilage and smooth muscle. Defects in neural crest development underlie a wide variety of birth defects and cancers.
We are interested in understanding the signals that underlie the induction and early development of the neural crest, and process by which these cells become migratory. We also seek to understand the mechanisms that control the cell fate decisions of neural crest cells. Most of our studies are carried out on Xenopus embryos using a combination of powerful techniques including protein mis-expression and depletion, explant culture, tissue grafting and biological imaging. We study the role a number of known signaling proteins play in these processes, including Wnt and BMP-family growth factors and the zinc-finger transcription factors Slug and Snail. We also use cDNA macroarray-based gene discovery methods in order to identify novel regulators of neural crest development. Using such methods we have recently discovered that the proto-oncogene c-myc is a key upstream regulator of neural crest development, and we are working to better understand its role in this process.
Selected Publications
Targeted inhibition of Snail family zinc finger transcription factors by oligonucleotide-Co(III) Schiff base conjugate. Harney AS, Lee J, Manus LM, Wang P, Ballweg DM, LaBonne C, Meade TJ. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Aug 18;106(33):13667-72. Epub 2009 Aug 3.
SUMO weighs in on a photoreceptor finish. LaBonne C. Dev Cell. 2009 Feb;16(2):165-6. Review.
Modulating the activity of neural crest regulatory factors. Taylor KM, LaBonne C. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2007 Aug;17(4):326-31. Epub 2007 Jul 24. Review.
Heeg-Truesdell E, LaBonne C. Neural induction in Xenopus requires inhibition of Wnt-beta-catenin signaling. Dev Biol. 2006 Oct 1;298(1):71-86. Epub 2006 Jun 14.
Vernon AE, LaBonne C. Slug stability is dynamically regulated during neural crest development by the F-box protein Ppa. Development. 2006 Sep;133(17):3359-70. Epub 2006 Aug 3.
Heeg-Truesdell E, LaBonne C. Wnt signaling: a shaggy dogma tale. Curr Biol. 2006 Jan 24;16(2):R62-4. No abstract available
View all publications by Carol LaBonne listed in the National Library of Medicine (PubMed). Past and current IBiS students in blue