Dr Michaela Frye

Interests

Many adult tissues are maintained by stem cells. Failure to control the generation or differentiation of stem cells contributes to cancer. Our goal is to identify key regulators and mechanisms that control the maintenance of the epidermis by regulating stem cell growth and differentiation. The transcription factor Myc is well known for its role in tumourigenesis but its functions in non-malignant cells remain enigmatic. Our studies have revealed a key role for Myc in regulating adult stem cell homeostasis. Through its interaction with Miz1, Myc regulates the exit of stem cells from their niche by directly repressing adhesive factors. Once the stem cells have left their niche, Myc induces cell proliferation via growth promoting target genes, like the novel RNA methyltransferase Misu. The aim of our laboratory is to characterise the epigenetic and transcriptional changes induced by Myc that regulate epidermal stem cell fate.

Research Focus

Keywords

stem cells

skin

Myc

gene transcription

cancer

Cancer sites

Skin and breast

Equipment

Cell culture

Confocal microscopy

Fluorescence microscopy

Gene expression profiling

Microarray

Model organisms

RNAi