Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy

Research Area: The role of GATA transcription factors in early intestinal development utilizing human embryonic stem cells and mouse models

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse in 2010 with a major in molecular and cellular biology and was accepted into MCW's Interdisciplinary program in the Biomedical Sciences the same year. I continued with the direction of my major and joined Dr. Michele Battle's lab in the Cell Biology department. The Battle lab focuses on the Gata transcription factors that play a role in the development of the intestine. My project is understanding the critical point in intestinal development where Gata4 is necessary. One aspect of my project utilizes human embryonic stem cells in which I differentiate into endoderm. With the addition of intestinal specific growth factors the endoderm generates a three dimensional intestinal tissue called an organoid. The organoids contain vili and crypts that are able to secrete intestinal juices which make for a great experimental in vitro model. The second aspect of my project involves an inducible Gata4 mouse in vivo model system where Gata4 can be turned off at different points throughout embryogenesis.