个人简介

Ph.D. University of Cologne 1990

研究领域

Cell Biology Developmental Biology Functional Genomics Genetics Molecular Biology Systems Biology

Finding out how cells adopt specific shapes and organize themselves into tissues and organs in multicellular organisms is one of the most exciting questions in modern biology with profound implications for human health. Our work focuses on epithelial cells, the basic building blocks of all animals that are major components of many organs such as skin, gut, kidney or the retina. These cells form two-dimensional sheets that separate different compartments of the body. Cell polarity is a key feature of simple and more complex epithelial cells such as photoreceptor cells. We also investigate the mechanisms of adhesion between epithelial cells that binds cells into tissues. Both cell polarity and cell adhesion are areas of intense research in current cell biology. Some of the main questions that we pursue are: How do epithelial cells establish and maintain their polar organization, and how is epithelial polarity lost during epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions? How do epithelial cells adhere to each other and move along each other without compromising epithelial tissue integrity? How do photoreceptor cells establish different, functionally and structurally distinct plasma membrane region? Defects in cell polarity and cell adhesion of epithelial cells cause many diseases. Our research currently explores genetic models for cancer and blindness. In fact, more than 80% of all human cancer cases are caused by the abnormal behaviour of epithelial cells. Blindness results often from death of the retina that is caused by defects in the polarity and adhesion of the epithelial cells of the retina.

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Monomeric α-catenin links cadherin to the actin cytoskeleton.Desai R, Sarpal R, Ishiyama N, Pellikka M, Ikura M, Tepass U.Nat. Cell Biol. 2013 Mar;15(3):261-73 pubmed The apical polarity protein network in Drosophila epithelial cells: regulation of polarity, junctions, morphogenesis, cell growth, and survival.Tepass U.Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 2012;28:655-85 pubmed Mutational analysis supports a core role for Drosophila α-catenin in adherens junction function.Sarpal R, Pellikka M, Patel RR, Hui FY, Godt D, Tepass U.J. Cell. Sci. 2012 Jan;125(Pt 1):233-45 pubmed Novel insights into epithelial polarity proteins in Drosophila.Laprise P, Tepass U.Trends Cell Biol. 2011 Jul;21(7):401-8 pubmed Cdc42 and vesicle trafficking in polarized cells.Harris KP, Tepass U.Traffic 2010 Oct;11(10):1272-9 pubmed Adherens junctions: from molecules to morphogenesis.Harris TJ, Tepass U.Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 2010 Jul;11(7):502-14 pubmed Epithelial polarity proteins regulate Drosophila tracheal tube size in parallel to the luminal matrix pathway.Laprise P, Paul SM, Boulanger J, Robbins RM, Beitel GJ, Tepass U.Curr. Biol. 2010 Jan;20(1):55-61 pubmed Molecular evolution of SPARC: absence of the acidic module and expression in the endoderm of the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis.Koehler A, Desser S, Chang B, MacDonald J, Tepass U, Ringuette M.Dev. Genes Evol. 2009 Oct;219(9-10):509-21 pubmed Drosophila laminins act as key regulators of basement membrane assembly and morphogenesis.Urbano JM, Torgler CN, Molnar C, Tepass U, López-Varea A, Brown NH, de Celis JF, Martín-Bermudo MD.Development 2009 Dec;136(24):4165-76 pubmed FERM proteins in animal morphogenesis.Tepass U.Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 2009 Aug;19(4):357-67 pubmed Yurt, Coracle, Neurexin IV and the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase form a novel group of epithelial polarity proteins.Laprise P, Lau KM, Harris KP, Silva-Gagliardi NF, Paul SM, Beronja S, Beitel GJ, McGlade CJ, Tepass U.Nature 2009 Jun;459(7250):1141-5 pubmed Breaking a temporal barrier: signalling crosstalk regulates the initiation of border cell migration.Godt D, Tepass U.Nat. Cell Biol. 2009 May;11(5):536-8 pubmed