Probing the interplay of CXCR7 and CXCR7 receptors in melanoma progression

This proposal aims at probing the nexus between SDF1/CXCR4/CXCR7 system and signaling partners (G protein vs beta arrestin) in the context of melanoma by using melanocytic murine cell lines. FRET measurements will be used to probe physical association between CXCR4 or CXCR7 and their signaling partners (G protein vs beta arrestin) in these cells. These measurements will be complemented by computational structural modeling...

Role of Slit molecules in neural crest delamination

The neural crest provides a unique population of migratory stem cells with which to study a variety of cell and neural developmental processes. Neural crest cells emerge from the neuroepithelium in development and transform into a mesenchymal/migratory population. Several inhibitory molecules have been shown to play important roles in neural crest migration including the chemorepulsive molecules Slit 1-3. Slit molecules were initially discovered...